Chapter 55: Breaking the Formation

Lu Jiangxian executed the "Mystic Pearl Spirit-Worship Technique," molding several incantations according to the formulaic patterns and casting them into Li Tongya's spiritual consciousness to transmit information, while simultaneously activating the Mystic Pearl Talisman Seed.

The Mystic Pearl Talisman Seeds within the Sea of Qi of Li Tongya and his companions suddenly stirred slightly. Instantly, the two felt an inexplicable, blood-linked connection to the mirror before them. Even Li Xuanxuan, who was meditating with closed eyes in the small courtyard, felt a spiritual resonance; he silently opened his eyes and turned his head toward the mountain peak.

Looking up at the mirror, Li Tongya's heart stirred. The mandatory commands of the Reception Method suddenly surfaced in his mind. He slowly bowed and spoke respectfully

"Li family disciple Li Tongya looks up to the profound grace, respectfully invites the Mystic Bright Dharma, to manifest the Lunar Profound Light, to slay the wicked, and to break the defiled and capture the demons!"

Only then did Lu Jiangxian slightly loosen his control over the Lunar Profound Light. Li Tongya suddenly felt the world blur for an instant, and the white mist surrounding the stone platform and the mirror before his eyes vanished completely.

His entire being felt as if he were drifting high into the sky. The entirety of Lijing Village floated before his eyes; the clamor of human voices and the barking of dogs below echoed in his ears. With a mere thought, the dazzling Lunar Profound Light would strike any corner at the foot of the mountain in the next breath.

"Truly miraculous."

Guiding his vastly expanded spiritual consciousness, Li Tongya raced along the mountain paths, crossing the small courtyard and flying over the paved stone roads. He soon exited Lijing Village, only realizing what had happened when the world before him gradually began to blur again.

"Whew..."

Li Tongya jolted awake as if from a great dream. Everything before his eyes slowly came back into focus. Looking at the concerned faces of Li Xiangping and Li Mutian, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. After resting for a few breaths, he smiled and said

"This mirror of ours is definitely no ordinary magical tool. It seems to have recognized our family now; we can summon that white light, called the Lunar Profound Light."

After closing his eyes to think carefully for a moment, Li Tongya spoke again

"The mandatory commands for the Reception Method remain as they were before. Each use of the Lunar Profound Light requires an interval of approximately twelve days. Once all twelve surrounding talisman sigils light up, it can be used. After summoning the Profound Light, one must offer spiritual rice and beast meat as a sacrifice to thank the Mirror Body."

"That is excellent."

Li Xiangping clapped his hands, unable to hide his smile, and said

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

Watching the group discuss the sacrificial offerings for a while, Lu Jiangxian thought to himself

"This method of sacrifice is already quite good. It maintains the divinity of the Dharma Mirror without requiring me to personally intervene with the Profound Light. Using the mirror will now involve both time and spiritual resources for the Li family, so they won't bother me for every little thing."

"Furthermore, Li Tongya and Li Xiangping are still aware that the origin of this mirror is unknown and remain cautious. In a few generations, the Dharma Mirror will become an ancestral object that the Li family sacrifices to every year. Its sanctity and legitimacy will be doubly guaranteed, making it feel naturally close to them."

His divine sense slowly ascended, feeling the intense attraction from Moon-Watching 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 had arranged the spiritual rice and fruits for the sacrifice. Li Xiangping explained the formation on Meichi Mountain in detail to Li Tongya, and the two began to calculate silently.

Li Tongya looked down at the twelve talisman sigils on the mirror body. Seeing them all emitting a faint white light, he thought to himself

"We summoned the Lunar Profound Light before but haven't used it yet. Might as well use this formation to test the waters."

After discussing for a while, they respectfully offered their apologies, quietly lifted the mirror, and headed toward the neighboring Meichi Mountain.

Meichi Mountain was adjacent to Lijing Mountain, and their terrain was originally one continuous mass. Strictly speaking, they were two peaks of the same mountain, but for hundreds of years, Meichi Mountain had been under the jurisdiction of Jingyang Village while Lijing Mountain belonged to Lijing Village. Consequently, the people of both villages regarded them as two separate mountains.

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

Li Yesheng was efficient; after only one night, quite a bit of timber and stone had been moved onto the hillside, several foundations had been laid, and several plots of fertile land had been demarcated.

Li Tongya projected his spiritual consciousness into the mirror. The mirror body slowly levitated, and a dazzling white light instantly pierced the darkness, landing precisely upon that hillside.

Lu Jiangxian felt the Lunar Profound Light strike a thin membrane in the void. Unlike the last time when it had crushed the demon with overwhelming force, this time Lu Jiangxian felt a faint, lingering resistance, as if the light were in a stalemate with something.

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

The pure white Lunar Profound Light was forcibly held back upon the hillside, causing ripples to continuously appear in mid-air. After a few breaths of stalemate, a pale golden formation finally slowly revealed its shape, with several corners suddenly spitting out wisps of golden light.

However, those wisps of golden light, upon seeing the Lunar Profound Light, melted away like remnant snow meeting the sun. They failed to form any meaningful resistance, causing the formation to flash for a few breaths before extinguishing completely.

"Boom..."

The hillside shuddered, and a stone cave entrance finally emerged. A faint light could be seen glowing from within, revealing glimpses of utensils. A surge of abundant spiritual energy swept out, causing Li Tongya and Li Xiangping to breathe deeply, their eyes shining with excitement.

The levitating mirror slowly extinguished its white light, the twelve talisman sigils went out one by one, and it fell back into Li Tongya's hands.

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

"I will return the Dharma Mirror first, then we shall discuss the rest."

"Alright."

Li Xiangping nodded and hurriedly added

"Remember to bring a sheep."

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

Seeing his brother depart, Li Xiangping sat on the ground, regulated his breathing for a while, and stared at the cave entrance, lost in thought.

————

Thousands of miles away, Li Chijing, who had just boarded the Rosy Cloud Boat, felt the Mystic Pearl Talisman Seed in his Sea of Qi rotate slowly. An image of his second brother, Li Tongya, standing before a stone platform with eyes slightly closed, surfaced in his mind.

"Second Brother has broken through to the Yujing realm."

He raised his head, looking through the transparent interior of the cloud boat toward the continuous, mist-shrouded Dali Mountains in the distance, and let out a soft laugh.

Tightening his grip on the Qi-Gathering Jade Bottle he had obtained from his senior brother before leaving the sect, Li Chijing tied a knot in the red string at the mouth of the bottle and fastened it to his waist.

This type of artifact for gathering Qi and spiritual energy usually could not be stored in a storage bag, so it had to be carried on one's person.

"Jing'er."

Yuan Tuan smiled and said softly

"Once we reach the Mushroom Forest Plain, I will have my clan brother escort you to the Dali Mountains. This Rosy Cloud Boat will stop at the Mushroom Forest Plain for three days to collect offerings from various regions. You may return within those three days."

"Yes, thank you, Senior Sister!"

Li Chijing hurriedly expressed his thanks and began to wait with great anticipation.

It had been raining for the past few days, and he had caught a bit of a cold.

(End of Chapter)