Chapter 1722: Six Directions (II)
Chapter 1722: Six Directions (II)
Li Ximing fell into thought and turned to Sima Yuanli. Daoist Master Qinghu nodded slightly and explained with a grave expression, "While observing the opposite bank this year, I noticed extensive troop movements, all involving men from the Great Mahayana Dharma Realm. I suspected the north was making some sort of arrangement, so I devised a plan to capture one of them and bring him back... Your emergence from seclusion came at the perfect time, fellow Daoist. We can discuss how to respond."
Li Ximing frowned slightly. He naturally knew the name Guangchan. Through the Merciful One Nuxiao from back then... he even knew that this Maha likewise carried the bloodline of Wei's Li!
This bodes ill...
As he pondered the matter carefully, Sima Yuanli observed his expression and chuckled, his words tinged with envy, "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Zhaojing... This is truly rare... truly rare!"
Li Ximing had only emerged from seclusion after having successfully mastered the Fate Divine Ability, [Radiance Under Heaven]!
Fate Divine Abilities held an entirely different significance for cultivators throughout the world. They were not only a shadow looming over the hearts of all lower-realm cultivators, but also an important means of completing the Inherent Rank of the Purple Mansion Realm. Now that Li Ximing had succeeded, he appeared utterly transcendent, almost like a different person!
It truly was not easy!
Li Ximing was filled with emotion. Cultivating a Fate Divine Ability depended heavily upon one's Dao conduct and fate, making it inherently difficult. For the present Li Ximing, the challenge had been even greater. He had secluded himself for five or six years and had yet still nearly failed!
I was somewhat too hasty this time... Although I refine pills every year and have grown increasingly proficient in the Bright Yang Dao, my Dao conduct still falls short when all is said and done... Had that [Attuned Purple Intent Essence] not perfectly compensated for this weakness... I would have failed yet again!
Li Zhouwei's Dao conduct had now reached a level surpassed only by Grand Daoist Masters, whereas Li Ximing had possessed no more than the Dao conduct of an ordinary early-stage Purple Mansion Realm cultivator when he entered seclusion. Many Daoist Masters with exceptionally profound Dao conduct had failed to master a Fate Divine Ability, so how could Li Ximing have found it easy?
Yet now that he had succeeded, his Dao conduct had improved considerably as well. He felt thoroughly relieved and could finally hold his head high. Raising his brows, he smiled and said, "It was merely good fortune..."
Sima Yuanli shook his head and sighed. "That is difficult to say. For one, your clan possesses tremendous destiny. For another, you yourself are exceptionally capable, fellow Daois. My elders have also advised that if one cannot attain the Dao through a Fate Divine Ability, then so long as one's innate ability permits it, one should try to complete the Fate Divine Ability as the second divine ability.
“After all, each successive divine ability becomes harder to cultivate, and the third is harder still. If you wait until you encounter the Purple Mansion Threshold before cultivating a Fate Divine Ability... you would simply be asking for trouble!"
Sima Yuanli truly did feel somewhat envious. His Dao lineage had a clearly established inheritance, and a Fate Divine Ability now formed his Dao foundation, yet he had no confidence that he could master it. Unfortunately, the situation was too urgent to allow his strength to remain stagnant for long, leaving him perpetually torn over what to do. How could he not feel envious after seeing Li Ximing overcome this enormous obstacle?
Li Ximing listened to him with a faint smile. Once the divine ability was complete, the world before his eyes had become entirely different!
Strands of profound light resembling luminous pearls hung above everyone's heads. Their hues varied, but their radiance was clear and bright, with some appearing full and others withered, each corresponding to its owner's spiritual qi and cultivation. These strands were the manifestations perceived by [Radiance Under Heaven]!
In other words, everyone within the great hall was enveloped by his Fate Divine Ability. Its reach even extended beyond the hall, covering everything within the range of his spiritual sense with [Radiance Under Heaven].
The mystics of this Fate Divine Ability were primarily divided into two parts, one principal and one secondary. The principal mystics acted upon Li Ximing himself and was described thus: Born of divinity, the foundation of kingly dominion; commanding the six directions, weighing heaven and earth, matching the divine, and questioning the cosmos.
This portion of its mystics was tied to his Dao conduct, those under his command, and his Inherent Rank. Once activated, the blessing of [Radiance Under Heaven] would give birth to a [Light of the Six Directions] out of thin air, allowing him to issue decrees, impose confinement, and dispel evil and calamity.
This [Light of the Six Directions] was inseparably linked to [Radiance Under Heaven] and closely related to his Dao conduct in the Bright Yang Dao. Beyond its use in battles of techniques, it could also 'weigh heaven and earth' and 'question the cosmos,' allowing him to perform divinations and seek answers from the Dao.
Beyond the [Light of the Six Directions], the remaining mystics made the peculiar nature of a Fate Divine Ability even more apparent.
If a Bright Yang Purple Mansion Realm cultivator were compared to a mortal, [Heaven-Venerating Gate] would be the weapon in his hand, while [Sovereign In Peril] would be the armor upon his body. This portion of the mystics of [Radiance Under Heaven], by contrast, resembled such intangible qualities as appearance, strength, bearing, refinement, temperament, and fortune.
Unlike [Heaven-Venerating Gate], this divine ability did not need to be summoned or withdrawn. [Radiance Under Heaven] was more like an elevation of his inherent qualities, something natural and innate.
Thus, rather than saying the mystics of [Radiance Under Heaven] covered a physical area, it would be more accurate to say that they encompassed the relationships of authority between those under his command.
This divine ability governed promotion and demotion. Those close to and favored by its master could receive the grace of elevation and advancement from [Radiance Under Heaven]. Heavenly light would arise within their qihai, reinforcing their righteous thoughts, repelling evil, and illuminating their origins.
Its profoundest mystics lay in governing subordinates, ensuring that they could harbor no disloyalty after losing their positions and no resentment even when ordered to die. If men such as Ding Weizeng or Qu Buzhi developed treacherous thoughts or grievances, Li Ximing would sense them immediately!
Once he sensed such thoughts, he could strike them down with an angry rebuke and even strip away their cultivation. Qi Cultivation and Embryonic Breathing Realm cultivators went without saying, but even a peak Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator like Ding Weizeng could lose decades of cultivation at a single word from him, plummeting directly to the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Yet the complementary mystics of [Radiance Under Heaven] went far beyond this. A single gentle sweep of the [Light of the Six Directions] could immediately overwhelm a person's divine soul, causing them to lose all sense of self to the point where they revered his every word and command as inviolable law.
Although it does not transform someone into an entirely different person as the reincarnation of a lord father would, unless another Purple Mansion Realm cultivator uses a special Fate Divine Ability to break the effect, that person will continue serving me according to my commands until their body perishes and their Dao vanishes! Given enough time, they will even lose their mind completely... At that point, not even another Purple Mansion Realm cultivator could save them.
At the same time, as the culmination of Bright Yang arts, [Radiance Under Heaven] could resonate with [Heaven-Venerating Gate]!
Once the [Heaven-Venerating Gate] was summoned, soldiers in golden armor and robes would pour forth across the sky. These summoned troops possessed only the strength of Qi Cultivation or Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators and had little awareness beyond basic combat instincts. Without some art of Wei State to empower them, they could never play any meaningful role before a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator and would be swept away in a single breath.
Yet this was precisely where the mystic known as 'matching the divine' within the [Light of the Six Directions] revealed its power. With a gentle sweep of the [Light of the Six Directions], the golden-armored and golden-robed soldiers filling the sky would immediately gain greatly heightened intelligence. Once his Dao conduct reached a sufficient level, he could even use the [Light of the Six Directions] to merge their divine abilities and transform them into a golden-armored immortal general capable of participating in battles between Purple Mansion Realm cultivators.
This... must be a manifestation of the arts of the Wei's Li Celestial Dynasty!