Chapter 1255: The Secret Of The Great Ancestor (II)

Light blossomed before Li Zhouwei's eyes amid a vast expanse of shimmering blue, revealing a vision of crystalline brilliance. A palace of pure crystal gradually took form, and jade-like steps unfolded one after another before him. He exhaled softly as he saw a jade platform not far ahead of him.

A chill lingered at his side.

The Dragon King of Bei Sea, Dongfang Lieyun, more demon than man in form, was straddling the steps beside him. His frame was immense, legs spanning five or six steps, as he held a jade flask. His scarlet pupils were fixed unblinkingly upon him.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

He rose to his feet and said quietly, "I called you here for a few matters. Of all the realms under heaven, only above the surface of the Unison Sea can such things be spoken. Today happens to be the right time to discuss them."

Dongfang Lieyun's tone had lost its earlier sinister edge; it was now deep and commanding. Li Zhouwei immediately straightened and replied, "Great king, please speak."

Dongfang Lieyun walked to the great gate of the crystal palace, his back turned, his voice somber, "Are you familiar with Li Qianyuan, the Great Ancestor of Wei?"

Li Zhouwei sensed something ominous from the weight in that voice. A faint dread crawled up within him as he answered, "The founding emperor of Wei State, of course I am aware of him."

Dongfang Lieyun spoke quietly, "In the Zhou dynasty, when the realm was divided among vassal states, wars never ceased. At last, the True Monarch fell, and Jin State severed the imperial lineage. The chaos was unending from then on; each time an emperor died, his dynasty perished with him. Within a hundred years, six rulers had come and gone. Then the Great Ancestor rose from beyond the passes. He conquered Qi and Lu, united the north, and became the first emperor to attain Bright Yang, the first human master of the Bright Yang Fruition Attainment.

"Later he established the Celestial Dynasty, where the imperial throne itself became a Fruition Attainment. The emperor borrowed the rank of a Golden Core, and his officials borrowed the power of Bright Yang. The Wei court was ruthless within its harem, yet it was a true celestial realm. Among Wei, Qi, Liang, and Zhao, only Emperor Wu of Liang mastered his methods. Wei and Liang alone held that capacity; the others had the name of a Celestial Dynasty, but not its substance.

"As for the likes of Zhao and Yan, they are laughable, mere puppets of the Buddhist cultivators, yet they still dare call themselves emperors!"

He never turned to look at Li Zhouwei, speaking instead to the empty air, "Everyone believed that the dynasty he built had at last solved the rift between mortals and immortals, establishing the perfect model for an immortal state. Yet such a figure, one but half a step from the Dao Embryo, suddenly died without warning. His Bright Yang Fruition Attainment returned to the great void. Wei Emperor Gong perished as a result, collapsing before his court, his body bursting into ruined flesh. The imperial prestige that Wei had forged through generations became a horror and a jest. Even the soldiers lost their bestowed powers, and the entire nation fell into ruin.

"The method of founding an immortal state was later stolen by Great Supreme Chan. They studied it, refined it generation by generation, and thus arose today's Seven Dharma Forms of the northern Buddhist lands. In truth, their relentless persecution of the Wei's Li lineage was not merely karmic vengeance; it was as when a thief steals from another's house and then shouts the loudest to condemn his victim, desperate to kill him so the stolen thing may truly become his own."

Li Zhouwei's hair stood on end. Dongfang Lieyun finally turned, revealing an expression dark with both grief and gloom. "It was Luoxia... You have met Li Xunquan as well. Luoxia's ambition to claim the Bright Yang position is no secret. Yet the Great Ancestor's influence upon the Bright Yang Fruition Attainment ran too deep. He imbued it with meaning beyond measure, and even Heaven and Earth themselves acknowledge him alone as its rightful master. But he lost his mind and has fallen, again and again, from the great void. With each fall, Luoxia exerts her influence, wearing down his divine ability and destiny, and, of course, tormenting Li Xunquan in the process.

"The last time... your family should remember, it was Chu Yi."

Li Zhouwei’s head jerked up as Dongfang Lieyun continued, "For a thousand years, the Bright Yang Dao has grown deeply defiled. Luoxia has gradually seized the upper hand, opening grotto heavens and releasing vast numbers of Bright Yang techniques into the world. Ordinarily, the cultivation of Bright Yang by mortals would have strengthened the Great Ancestor, but he has been tainted too greatly. Those cultivators striving toward the Purple Mansion Realm and the Golden Core Realm stir the balance of Heaven and Earth, which instead helps to erode the Fruition Attainment itself."

"And you... are the watershed."

Dongfang Lieyun's expression grew complicated, bearing a trace of cruel malice.

"The Bright Yang Fruition Attainment has finally deigned to bestow its fate upon another. With this destiny upon you, your chance of breaching the Purple Mansion Realm is immense, and perhaps gives a chance of reaching the Fruition Attainment itself. You need not even succeed; merely making the attempt would cause him immeasurable harm. Though we lack the power to rescue the Great Ancestor, by what small strength we possess, my Dragon bloodline ought to slay you.

"Yet you are of the Wei's Li lineage, a junior of Wei Emperor Gong. From that view, we ought instead to aid you. You must understand how conflicted my Dragon Clan feels toward you... Perhaps ignoring you altogether is the best we can do."

His tone darkened, growing sharp and venomous, "My lineage is closer to Wei Emperor Gong's. Earlier, I sent Dingjiao to assist you, revealing pieces of the Wei's Li matter, while guarding against Mount Luoxia's notice. But things shifted. You, a White Qilin, drew Changxiao's greed for your fate; he pursued Li Ximing to the Eastern Sea, wearing that dog's grin as he probed, while Luoxia watched from the shadows.

"One of my Dragon Clan spirit cultivators had old ties with your Li Family and was compelled to intervene. She is closely bound to the Dragon Monarch; thus, the moment she acted, high cultivators could deduce how far the Dragon Monarch's hidden matters had progressed. In the end, the whole affair twisted into a trap; Luoxia's scheme to probe my Dragon bloodline. They uncovered the Dragon Monarch's condition. Whether this was Changxiao's design or not, Luoxia's people have already gained the upper hand.

"This move placed us utterly on the defensive... and that was when I sensed something was wrong."

Li Zhouwei's expression changed at once, realizing the Dragon King's gaze had grown dark and oppressive. Dongfang Lieyun's voice dropped, turning cold, "This makes me recall another possibility. Mount Luoxia lies dangerously close to Bright Yang, so how could they not know of this thread of fate upon you? Why have they not come to claim you? Would it not serve them better to keep it in hand? Perhaps this fate was lured out deliberately, cast upon the Wei's Li descendants to ensnare us, to make my kind hesitate. You and the entire Li line may well be the trap Luoxia set for us."

The Dragon King's pupils narrowed thinner and thinner until they were two vertical crimson slits as he said, "You are the handiwork of Mount Luoxia."