Chapter 55: Breaking the Formation

Lu Jiangxian performed the Profound Pearl Spirit Offering Art. Following the incantation's structure, he uttered a few decrees, sending specific information into Li Tongya's spiritual consciousness while simultaneously activating the Profound Pearl Talisman Seed.

The Profound Pearl Talisman Seeds in the Qi Sea acupoints of Li Tongya and a few others stirred slightly. Immediately, two of them inexplicably felt a blood-like connection with the mirror before them. Even Li Xuanxuan, who had been cultivating with closed eyes in the small courtyard, sensed the change, silently opening his eyes and turning his head towards the mountaintop.

As Li Tongya looked at the mirror above him, his heart stirred. The crucial command for the Reception Art suddenly appeared in his mind. He slowly bowed and respectfully said:

"Li Tongya, a disciple of the Li family, humbly acknowledges the profound grace and respectfully requests the Profound Clarity Wondrous Method. I ask for the Taiyin Profound Light to be released, to slay evildoers, dispel impurities, and capture demons!"

Only then did Lu Jiangxian slightly release control of the Taiyin Profound Light. Li Tongya immediately felt the world blur for a moment, and the stone platform, the mirror, and the white mist before him all vanished.

His whole being felt as if it was floating high into the sky. The entire Lijing Village appeared before his eyes, and the noisy human chatter, crowing of roosters, and barking of dogs below all echoed in his ears. With just a thought, the dazzling Taiyin Profound Light would strike any corner at the foot of the mountain in the next instant.

"How marvelous."

Controlling his spiritual consciousness, which had expanded by an unknown magnitude, Li Tongya raced continuously along the mountain path, crossed the small courtyard, and flew over the paved stone path. He quickly left Lijing Village, only realizing the extent of his travel when the world before him gradually blurred.

"Phew..."

Li Tongya suddenly awoke as if from a profound dream. Everything before his eyes slowly became clear. Looking at Li Xiangping and Li Mutian, whose faces were full of concern, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. After resting for a few breaths, he smiled and said:

"This mirror of ours is certainly no ordinary magical artifact. It must have recognized our family by now. We can now summon forth that white light, known as the Taiyin Profound Light."

After closing his eyes and pondering for a while, Li Tongya spoke again:

"The crucial command for the Reception Art can be recited as I did earlier. Each use of the Taiyin Profound Light requires an interval of about twelve days; it can be used once the twelve surrounding seal characters light up. After summoning the Profound Light, spirit rice and beast meat must be offered in sacrifice to express gratitude to the mirror."

"That's excellent."

Li Xiangping clapped his hands, a smile irrepressible on his face, and said:

"Then many problems can be solved. We can try to break the formation on Meichi Mountain, and the Wan family's formation inheritance can also be acquired. If any powerful enemies arrive, our family will also have a means of self-preservation."

Watching them discuss for a while and begin to plan the sacrificial items, Lu Jiangxian secretly pondered:

"This method of offering sacrifice is excellent. It not only maintains the divine nature of the magical mirror but also spares me from personally intervening to use the Profound Light. The Li family also incurs dual costs of time and spiritual resources when using the mirror, so they won't bother me with every single matter."

"What's more, Li Tongya and Li Xiangping still remember that the mirror's origin is unclear and are wary of it. In a few more generations, the magical mirror will become an ancestral item that the Li family sacrifices to yearly. Its sacredness and legitimacy will have a double guarantee, and it will naturally feel more intimate."

His spiritual consciousness slowly ascended. Feeling the strong attraction from Wangyue Lake not far away, Lu Jiangxian's heart was filled with anticipation.

"What will it be this time?"

***

In the courtyard.

Li Tongya and the others arranged the spirit rice and fruits for the sacrifice. Li Xiangping carefully explained the formation on Meichi Mountain to Li Tongya, and the two of them quietly planned together.

Li Tongya quietly looked at the twelve seal characters on the mirror's surface, seeing them all emitting a faint white light, and secretly thought:

"I've summoned the Taiyin Profound Light before, but haven't used it yet. Why not use it on this formation to test its power?"

The two discussed for a while. After respectfully making their preparations, they quietly carried the mirror and headed towards the adjacent Meichi Mountain.

Meichi Mountain is adjacent to Lijing Mountain. The mountain ranges are inherently one; strictly speaking, they are two peaks of a single mountain. However, for hundreds of years, Meichi Mountain has been under the jurisdiction of Jingyang Village, and Lijing Mountain under Lijing Village, leading the villagers of both communities to regard these two peaks as two separate mountains.

Li Xiangping and Li Tongya applied the Divine Speed Art to their legs and arrived at Meichi Mountain in less than half an hour. From a distance, they looked at the small hill Li Xiangping was pointing to.

Li Yesheng was nimble; in just one night, a significant amount of timber and stone had already been placed on the hillside, fencing off several foundations and enclosing several fertile plots.

Li Tongya cast his spiritual consciousness into the mirror. The mirror body slowly floated up, and a dazzling white light immediately pierced through the darkness, precisely landing on the hillside.

Lu Jiangxian felt the Taiyin Profound Light strike a thin film in the void. Unlike last time, when it effortlessly destroyed the demonic creature, this time Lu Jiangxian faintly sensed a trace of resistance, as if it was somewhat deadlocked with the Taiyin Profound Light.

"It's just that, although this formation's spiritual power is vast in quantity, its quality is somewhat lacking."

The pure white Taiyin Profound Light was forcibly held back on the hillside, with ripples continuously appearing in the air. After a few breaths of stalemate, a faint golden formation finally slowly revealed itself, and several corners of the formation suddenly emitted streaks of golden light.

However, those streaks of golden light, upon meeting the Taiyin Profound Light, melted away like residual snow meeting the sun, unable to form any significant resistance. This caused the formation to flash for a few breaths before completely extinguishing.

"Boom..."

The hillside trembled, and a stone cave entrance finally appeared. Inside, a faint glow was visible, and some tools could be vaguely seen. A powerful surge of spiritual energy swept out, causing both Li Tongya and Li Xiangping to breathe deeply, their eyes sparkling with vitality.

The floating mirror also slowly extinguished its white light. The twelve seal characters extinguished one by one, and it fell back into Li Tongya's hand.

Li Tongya cautiously looked at the cave entrance and said to Li Xiangping:

"I'll return the magical mirror first, then we can discuss other matters."

"Alright."

Li Xiangping nodded and quickly replied:

"Remember to bring a sheep."

Li Tongya nodded lightly, applied the Divine Speed Art to his legs, and headed down the mountain.

Seeing his elder brother depart, Li Xiangping sat on the ground. He adjusted his breathing for a while, then stared at the cave entrance, lost in thought.

***

Ten thousand li away, Li Chijing, who had just boarded the Rosy Cloud Airship, felt the Profound Pearl Talisman Seed in his Qi Sea acupoint slowly turn. The image of his second brother, Li Tongya, standing before the stone platform with his eyes slightly closed, appeared before him.

"Second Brother has broken through to the Jade Capital realm."

He raised his head and looked through the transparent interior of the airship at the distant, continuous, cloud-shrouded Dali Mountain. He chuckled softly.

He tightened his grip on the Qi-absorbing jade bottle he had obtained from his senior brother before leaving the sect. Li Chijing tied a knot with a red string around the bottle's mouth and fastened it to his waist. This type of magical artifact, used for absorbing Qi and spiritual energy, usually cannot be stored in a storage pouch and must be carried on one's person.

"Jing'er."

Yuan Tuan smiled and said softly:

"Once we arrive at Xunlin Plain later, I'll have my clan brother escort you to Dali Mountain. This Rosy Cloud Airship will stop at Xunlin Plain for three days, collecting tributes from various places. You just need to return within three days."

"Yes, thank you, Senior Sister!"

Li Chijing quickly thanked her and waited with eager anticipation.