Chapter 1780: Diyan (II)
Chapter 1780: Diyan (II)
Mount Dali formed a natural barrier between Shu and Song. The Mushroom Forest Plain lay behind Mount Dali, positioned so that it could defend Tongmo Prefecture to the south and reinforce Moongaze Lake to the north. Yang Ruiyi had stationed Tinglan there precisely so she could support either side at any moment... Yet the first place Tinglan had rushed to reinforce was Moongaze Lake...
Which means Chen Yin was left without anyone to help him...
Bitterness filled Li Ximing's heart, but he did not know how to answer her. He could only continue forward in silence, heading deeper into the mountain. Soon, a high platform rose before them amid clouds and flowing winds. Sixteen long steps extended from each of its four sides, while water, fire, Yin, and Yang faced one another and glowed with a hazy radiance.
Kuangyu bowed, then took out a talisman and sent it drifting toward the high platform to request an audience. After a while, a beautiful woman descended from above. She wore a layer of red gauze as hazy as mist, through which her snow-white skin could faintly be seen.
She said softly, "Daoist Master Zhaojing, please follow me."
Kuangyu smiled and nodded to her before stepping aside. Li Ximing had already sensed that something was amiss. He discreetly glanced at the woman before him, but could only steel himself and follow her onward.
The sixteen steps passed beneath their feet in an instant. Surprisingly, a middle-aged man sat cross-legged atop the high platform. He was quite handsome, with his eyes tightly shut as though silently cultivating. Presumably, he was one of the old Daoist Master's capable juniors.
The great hall beyond was dark and cavernous. Thirty-two tall bronze lamps burned within, each branching into many arms, with two or three smaller bronze lamps perched upon every branch and swaying like little birds. Li Ximing took another step forward and raised his head for a closer look.
Yet seated at the main seat above was actually a young man!
The man was tall and powerfully built, yet strikingly handsome and dashing. He wore no elaborate adornments, only a thin white robe left open at the chest to reveal a muscular torso. A long sash was tied around his waist and trailed along the floor like a winding golden serpent.
He was completely absorbed in adjusting the wick of a bronze lamp, his profile turned toward the entrance. Under the shifting light and shadow, the bridge of his nose looked especially prominent, while his eyes were a dark golden-bronze, as though they had been cast from metal.
Li Ximing was momentarily stunned.
Diyan... this Grand Daoist Master is certainly no gentle figure...
After all, both Guo Nanwu and Xuanyi had constantly referred to him as the 'old Daoist Master,' speaking of Diyan as though he were some kindly elder whose lifespan was nearly exhausted. Li Ximing had always imagined someone like Lingdu. The sight before him therefore caught him completely off guard.
The young man turned his head, his bronze eyes appearing almost otherworldly in the dim hall, and smiled. "Which highness might you be? Come inside and let us talk."
"I am Zhaojing of Tingzhou. Greetings, Senior Diyan!"
Li Ximing stepped inside, and something stirred faintly within him as a vague discomfort arose. The place felt as though it lay deep within sweltering earth veins. The flickering bronze lamps resembled springs of subterranean fire, fiercely spewing forth dawn radiance saturated with dense Virile Fire. The light was so concentrated it seemed almost tangible, brushing across his cheeks with the ringing clang of hardened metal striking against metal.
This Grand Daoist Master... cultivates [Radiant Essence]. Radiant Essence is incompatible with Bright Yang, so naturally this radiance feels deeply unpleasant to me.
Li Ximing froze for a brief instant, his heart pounding. Diyan stepped down through the dark crimson radiance, his eyes gleaming like forged gold and bronze as he looked at him and smiled. "I would not dare accept being called 'Senior'... My surname is Yin, and my given name is Huan. If your highness insists on addressing me somehow, you may simply call me by name."
Only then did Li Ximing realize that when the man had called him 'highness,' he had meant it literally. Before Li Ximing could say more, the Grand Daoist Master had already turned and led him deeper into the hall. He sat down on the steps beneath the main seat and gestured for Li Ximing to join him.
Despite the magnificence of the hall, there was not a single jade table or jade chair anywhere. Li Ximing could only sit down beside him. Daoist Master Diyan smiled and said, "It has been many years since I last met a scion of the imperial line. To think we have become so distant with one another."
Li Ximing looked up in some surprise. Daoist Master Diyan was staring directly at him, his calm, even voice carrying through the dense radiance of Radiant Essence.
"Long ago, the Immortal Emperor Gong Xu slew Shuyang and obtained his scaled garment and two flanks. They were then passed down to his descendants, who were enfeoffed in the land of Lee, hence the name Bolee. His heirs later rendered meritorious service in pacifying Western Long, and the King of Zhou granted them a fief in Guanlong, where they commanded the Six Surnames and became Wei."
The intense dawn radiance crashed down as Diyan said in a low, distant voice, "The Six Surnames campaigned against the various states and won great merit. My Yin Family was one of those six. Our ancestor Yin Ni was enfeoffed as the King of Brightness and cultivated the Dao lineage of Radiant Essence."
More than half of Li Ximing's doubts were dispelled at once, and for a moment he said nothing.
So what?
Wei State has been gone for many years. Whether it was Long-Wei or Eastern Fire, each had once been far more prosperous than Li Zhouwei standing alone today. Those retainers who were truly loyal had already shown their loyalty long ago! Even the Cui Family, which had once been granted two seats among the True Monarchs, still hesitated to act. Had Li Zhouwei not gone to them in person, they would probably still be watching from the sidelines even now... So what difference could the so-called Six Surnames make?
As a Grand Daoist Master, there is no way he is unaware of the schemes between north and south, nor could he possibly be ignorant of Mount Luoxia's plans. Even if he truly is loyal, that loyalty should be to the Emperor of Wei. Why would any of it extend to me?
Given the present circumstances, encountering an old retainer of Wei State only left Li Ximing even more guarded. Even so, he remained respectful on the surface and said, "So you are an old friend of my ancestors. This junior is deeply grateful that the Grand Daoist Master still remembers those old ties."
Diyan did not seem surprised. He quietly studied Li Ximing and smiled. "It seems the Cui Family makes quite a show of its loyalty with words, but in truth amounts to little... Though that is only to be expected. Yangya is a hopeless coward who would never dare draw close to you. No wonder your highness has grown disheartened."
Li Ximing could not discern his intentions, and did not dare lower his guard. He rose to his feet and said quietly, "Senior, you misunderstand!"
He continued solemnly, "Bright Yang has suffered repeated setbacks and has already risen and fallen three times. The Cui Family has remained loyal and dutiful throughout, giving its full support on all three occasions. They have exhausted nearly all their foundations and are now barely holding on...
"Even so, when I paid them a visit, the Cui Family still generously brought out their cultivation methods for me. They have already done everything that could reasonably be asked of them! Later, when Daoist Master Yangya recalled the younger members of his clan... he had little choice..."
Li Ximing deliberately added that last remark, wanting to test the Grand Daoist Master's reaction. Diyan's expression had remained as still as an ancient well, but the moment Li Ximing finished speaking, his brows lifted slightly.
Diyan's eyes narrowed slightly, and for the first time a trace of emotion stirred within them. His anger surged like violent waves beneath a sheet of ice, yet only the faintest hint of it showed on his face as he said coldly, "Cui Yushan has certainly played this well."
His words were light and casual, yet every bronze lamp in the great hall flickered faintly, and a terrifying aura seemed to emerge. Li Ximing broke out in a cold sweat as a frightening possibility surfaced in his mind.
I've heard this Daoist Master crossed the Purple Mansion Threshold a very, very long time ago. Could it be that...
Diyan had already risen to his feet and stood with his hands behind his back. He looked at Li Ximing once more and said in a calm yet forceful tone, "Dragons and foxes, north and south, Majestic Earth and Banished Essence, not one of them can be trusted. Even the Yang Family today only knows how to timidly compromise, turning major matters into minor ones and minor matters into nothing. When the situation reaches a critical point, they will not hesitate in the slightest to betray the King of Wei."
Clearly, this Grand Daoist Master was no ordinary figure. Li Ximing had merely added a single probing remark, yet Diyan had easily discerned the intention behind it. He said softly, "Your highness need not be so suspicious. The Six Surnames have declined, and none among them possesses any truly outstanding talent. Even the Cui Family, descendants of True Monarchs, has fallen to its present state. To put it plainly, in this era, the only person the King of Wei and you can trust is me."
His gaze remained fixed on Li Ximing as he emphasized, "Only me."
Li Ximing raised his head. His lips moved slightly, and at last he voiced a question that had remained buried in his heart for many years. "Back then, at Hengzhu..."
Diyan replied softly, "That's right. Back then, I was the one who sent Kuangyu regarding the [Radiant Sky Stone]. Without her persuasion, that item would never have ended up in your highness's hands. Even if Tulong Jian had intervened in the end, what reached your hands would not have been the genuine [Radiant Sky Stone]."
Li Ximing abruptly closed his eyes. This doubt had troubled him for far more than a day. It was true that Tulong Jian had helped them obtain the [Radiant Sky Stone] back then, but Li Ximing had now been a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator for many years and understood exactly how valuable a Purple Mansion Realm spirit item was. Hengzhu Dao could claim whatever it pleased, but even as part of the Orthodox Dao, how could it possibly have allowed two Purple Mansion Realm spirit items to fall so easily into the hands of a mere Foundation Establishment Realm clan...
Li Ximing finally met his gaze. After a long silence, he asked, "What is senior's current cultivation?"
Diyan's gaze was like iron and stone, like brilliant radiance itself, fixed unwaveringly on Li Ximing. His voice was quiet and steady as he said, "When the King of Brightness received his noble title, his [Radiant Essence] Dao reached great completion. He took [Invocation to Replace the Night] as his raiment, used dawn radiance to comprehend the brilliance of Bright Yang, and took [Resplendence Restored] as his destiny. With a minister's heart revering the majesty of the emperor, he cultivated [Affliction of Oppressive Heat] as admonition and [Bestowal of Auspicious Grace] as proclamation..."
As his words fell, one ray of dawn light after another ignited above his head. Some bore the might of the Supreme Yang at first rising, driving away cold and stilling water. Others possessed the wonder of crossing Yin and replacing night, quietly subduing Heavenly Yang. Surging colors gathered around him and flooded the entire hall, causing all thirty-six bronze lamps to blaze at once until everything was swallowed by a brilliant white light too dazzling to look upon directly!
Even though Diyan was not directing them at him, the might of these four divine abilities was still terrifying. Standing within their radiance, Li Ximing felt an intense, stinging sense of danger wash across his face. Yet the man before him had not finished.
Something suddenly emerged from that point of brilliant white light. Golden-white stone bricks condensed one after another, fitting seamlessly together as a towering city gate took shape. Profound patterns covered the base of the gate, while all the radiance in the surroundings drew inward. Within, radiant light shimmered through a hazy glow, facing a blazing sun. To the right were the words [Radiant in Splendor], and to the left, [Brilliant in Glory]!
[Radiant Origin Pass]!
"With [Radiant Origin Pass] as the northern gateway guarding the Celestial Dynasty!"
"Thus, the divine abilities reach completion!"
The Diyan before him had already brought his divine abilities to completion, possessing all five divine abilities in full!
In that instant, the light of Radiant Essence suddenly softened, becoming cloud and mist, support and assistance, before converging entirely into the Origin Pass. The stinging sensation on Li Ximing's face vanished completely, replaced by a sense of affinity much like that of Radiant Fire.
Even the proud and unruly man himself seemed to soften. His brass-colored eyes remained fixed on Li Ximing, a smile resting at the corners of his lips.
Li Ximing's eyes were filled with deep astonishment. He rose to his feet and asked in disbelief, "Senior intends to attain the Dao... with four Radiant Essence divine abilities and one Bright Yang divine ability?!"