Li Tongya saw off An Zheyan, then burned incense and took a bath, before changing into his formal attire. He donned a gray robe with white cloud-patterned sleeves and slung a sword over his back, then walked to the summit of Mount Lijing.
He pushed open the doors of the ancestral hall where the ancestral tablets stood silently, surrounded by curling smoke that gave the place a solemn atmosphere.
The tablets represented the six generations of ancestors from the village records, along with Li Genshui and Li Mutian. Li Tongya was technically a descendant of the ninth generation, but if counting from the beginning of their connection to the Dao, he was a second-generation disciple.
Li Tongya gazed at the tablets amidst the swirling smoke. He kneeled and bowed three times to the leading tablets, showing proper respect, and said reverently, "I, your unworthy descendant Tongya, offer my respects to the revered ancestors and elders… I respectfully inform you all: Our family has striven diligently through seven generations to cultivate grains. My father laid the foundation with cultivation techniques, thereby connecting us to the Dao. I, the younger generation, work tirelessly from dawn till dusk, always cautious and alert, not daring to make a mistake."
His eyes moistened slightly, and he bowed deeply before continuing, "For years, old grievances have lingered—my eldest brother was slain, Western barbarians invaded and cursed my younger brother, and an expert from the immortal sect devoured my youngest sibling… Only I, Tongya, is left to manage the household alone now, holding it together for forty-two years. I have finally established my immortal foundation, and I hope this brings some comfort to all of you!"
Li Tongya straightened up after he had finished. Though he held anger in his heart, he bore no resentment. He had killed many too, invading east and expanding west. In the murky depths of this worldly pond, everyone was helplessly swept along.
He turned to the tablets of his two brothers and Li Yuanxiu. Due to pressure, he couldn't even place Li Chejing's tablet there. Li Tongya silently cupped his fist without saying much.
Li Tongya finally stepped forward and pushed open a stone door before waving his hand gently, illuminating several mana-powered candles within the stone chamber. He bowed deeply, then reached out to pick up the mirror on the stone platform.
The moment he touched it, his mind suddenly brightened. Similarly, the mirror floated in front of him, glowing much more vividly now. Through a foggy haze, he saw three beams of light descend, transforming into three glowing white pills that rotated inside the mirror.
Li Tongya was overjoyed at the sight of them. Upon breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, the number of talisman seeds in the mirror had reached nine, filling him with immense delight.
"So, the number of talisman seeds depends on the strength of the one conducting the ritual… When a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator uses the mirror, nine seeds will appear!" he exclaimed to himself in utter delight.
Li Tongya had worried that the Xi and Yue generation would lack talisman seeds, but now he felt much more relieved. He bowed deeply and thought to himself, It seems that the power and mystery of the Supreme Yin Profound Light will be significantly changed as well. I wonder how effective it will be against Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators…
In the world within the mirror, Lu Jiangxian slowly exhaled and stood up.
With Li Tongya breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, Lu Jiangxian also benefited from the feedback of the talisman seeds. Though it was not as much as when Li Chejing succeeded in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, it was still comparable to the recovery of a peak Qi Cultivation Realm talisman seed.
"Li Tongya broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm far too easily," Lu Jiangxian murmured as he frowned slightly.
He had observed the entire process of Li Tongya's breakthrough and knew that Li Tongya attributed it to the effects of the Profound Pearl Talisman Seeds and talisman qi.
However, according to Lu Jiangxian's knowledge, these did not increase the success rate of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. This was different in the Purple Mansion Realm though, as talisman qi would significantly aid in condensing divine abilities.
"The River One Qi Technique and the Deep Ocean Long Whale Talisman..."
Lu Jiangxian had some suspicions but couldn't be sure of them. He thought to himself, I'll wait for the Li Family to succeed a few more times before I can decipher such a pattern.
He waved his hand, and the sword that stood atop a large boulder at the mountain peak sprang up immediately. Lu Jiangxian caught the long sword and tossed it lightly.
"Is there anyone else worthy of notice?" he asked the sword.
The sword paused, then slowly released a glow, buzzing deeply before returning to the boulder—motionless.
"It seems that Li Tongya and Li Yuanjiao's swordsmanship talents still fall a bit short."
Lu Jiangxian shook his head. Not everyone could receive the power of this sword, which required a talent for swordsmanship that was comparable to that of Li Chejing. Of course, one couldn't attain Li Chejing's mastery through mere enlightenment alone. Instead, a sword mark would appear on their brow, slowly elevating the host's swordsmanship.
Patting the table, Lu Jiangxian picked up a small book on the table, which contained the spells he had compiled over the past decade. After pondering for a while, a line of words appeared on the book cover automatically—Profound Shamanic Spells.
Dusting off the cover, Lu Jiangxian placed the book back on the table and thought to himself, This shamanic spell isn't something everyone can practice either… In a few years, when someone in the Li Family has extraordinary spiritual insight, I'll grant it to them to test what I've learned...
Li Tongya left the ancestral hall, now feeling much better. He checked around the cave dwelling to find that Li Xuanfeng was in seclusion for cultivation, while Li Xuanxuan was studying talisman arts. Li Tongya thought to himself, Qinghong is still with the Fei Family, so I should inform Fei Wangbai and bring her back.
Having made up his mind, Li Tongya rode the wind from Mount Lijing, flying over the deep green lake for a while. Before long, a large island appeared in front of him, with flashing lights and the sounds of thunder and fire echoing continuously. Among the ruins, broken walls and remnants could be faintly discerned—this was the site of the Moongaze Lake Market.
Seeing the ruins, Li Tongya suddenly felt a stirring in his heart. The market had been destroyed years ago when Chen Taoping from the Lingyu Gate activated the formation. The lightning shattered the formation wedges, creating the forbidden formation.
At that time, Li Tongya was still a Qi Cultivator and could only watch on helplessly. Now, having achieved the Foundation Establishment Realm, he could finally explore this island.
Li Tongya used his true essence to form a protective shield and descended into the forbidden formation. Thunder roared all around him, lightning striking his shield relentlessly.
His true essence poured out like water, but with his deep mana reserves, he resisted the lightning head-on. With help from the River Crossing Torrential Step, he landed on the island with ease.
After a dozen breaths, Li Tongya finally passed through the formation and set foot on the island, immediately feeling the abundant spiritual qi and a sense of refreshing clarity.
"This place has more spiritual qi than anywhere else I have seen… If it were not for the forbidden formation, a family would have long claimed this place!" Li Tongya marveled as he calculated his mana mentally. He had consumed over twenty percent of his power, which was equivalent to about fifty percent of a typical early-stage Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator's strength.
All around him lay broken walls and ruins, with thick weeds growing everywhere. He stepped forward, carefully avoiding the bones at his feet, and began wandering around the island.
"After a dozen years, the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators who have passed through here must have looted this place many times over. There likely is not much left of value…"
Li Tongya wandered about for an hour without finding anything, before finally landing in the center of the island. The smooth ground was covered in formation patterns.
Originally, there must have been a large structure here, but now only four pale stone pillars of varying heights remained, creating a desolate and deserted atmosphere.
In the middle was a deep well, pitch-black and seemingly bottomless. Li Tongya probed it with his spiritual sense but could not reach the bottom. He thought for a moment before placing his hands on the well's edge. The well water suddenly surged upward, bringing up muddy water from its depths.
The water gushed on endlessly, rapidly depleting Li Tongya's sea of qi, and draining another twenty percent of his mana. He drew up a mass of water the size of a small hill, and the well water trickled out like a small stream, flowing away in accordance with the terrain.
Li Tongya was delighted as he beckoned, and a jade box flew out of the well's bottom. The complex patterns on the box felt warm to the touch.
Li Tongya flicked his fingers, and the jade box opened, only to reveal that it was completely empty.
"Huh?!" Li Tongya froze for a moment before letting out a laugh and said softly, "I have indeed come too late."
The box's contents had obviously been taken already. The person who took them likely wasn't skilled in water manipulation but knew some divine abilities or spells. They had managed to effortlessly steal the contents from a distance, leaving only an exquisite empty jade box in its place at the bottom of the well.
"Although the contents are gone, the jade box itself is no ordinary item. Its surface is covered in formation patterns, so it can likely store spirit items of even the Purple Mansion Realm… Its material is also unparalleled, so this trip isn't completely a waste!"
Li Tongya turned the jade box over in his hands, satisfied, and nodded. He hadn't hoped for much to begin with, so the discovery of a fine jade box was a pleasant surprise.
He placed the box away and sat down cross-legged to meditate for half an hour before taking to the wind again, breaking through the forbidden formation and heading north.