Chapter 1404: Registering Name (I)

Grotto heaven.

The moon laurel swayed gently, pale silver light drifting beneath its branches. A biting wind swept through as a white jade platform floated between heaven and earth.

Lu Jiangxian lightly raised his hand, drawing a reflected image of an ancient bronze mirror forth from the great void. The mirror was no larger than a palm, encircled by a dark rim. Patterns along its tail gradually converged on a jade stone shining bright as a star.

This piece from the Mifan Dao lineage... is not a fragment of the mirror surface...

The jade stone within the Mifan Dao lineage was part of the mirror's body itself, called the Registering Name Stone. Embedded in the mirror, it had originally been one whole, and it was the origin of the saying,

inscribe upon the profound talisman and ascend to the true name.

The edict Li Ximing had heard had not arisen from nothing. It was because this treasure had returned that the Immortal Mirror's wondrous power had surged, bringing about a new transformation.

Though the name Registering Name Stone sounded pleasant, its effect was exceedingly domineering. If someone relaxed their mind and was illuminated by its profound light, a trace of their true spirit would be inscribed upon the Registering Name Stone and could never be erased. If that person possessed a talisman seed, they could ascend into the world within the mirror through it.

If the person had not received a talisman seed and their true spirit entered the Registering Name Stone, they would not only be constrained as if bound by a talisman seed, their thoughts and life and death would no longer be their own. They would be entirely controlled by the master of the immortal artifact, yet also be unable to enjoy the various benefits granted by a talisman seed.

Although such people could fly into the world within the mirror, they had no choice in the matter. A single summons from above would rip their souls from their bodies and send it crashing headlong into the Registering Name Stone.

Of course, if a person refused to open their mind, then as long as their body perished and their Shenyang Mansion was exposed before the immortal artifact, and they sought rebirth through various methods of other mansions or relinquished stations, that brief instant when the true spirit was laid bare would likewise be illuminated by the profound light of the Registering Name Stone. They could not escape the same outcome.

If that person's soul and body entered the mirror, it would be walking straight into a net. They would already be fixed upon the Registering Name Stone and could never wash it away.

How overbearing... who knows whether it is an immortal artifact or a demonic artifact...

Lu Jiangxian examined each of these wonders in turn. When he compared the effects of talisman seed and the talisman pill, he saw that they truly came from the same source and allowed not the slightest slackening.

If this immortal artifact were to enter the world, and talisman seeds were bestowed upon trusted aides while the rest were recorded one by one with the Registering Name Stone, could they not raise batch after batch of manpower?

When his thoughts reached this point, doubts arose,

If his previous life possessed such power, why would they complain that the cultivators beneath the Moonlight Origin Mansion were not united? There would be no need to speak of unity at all. Record their names within, draw their souls into the mirror, and all petty thoughts would become useless...

Not only that, his doubts about the Immortal Mirror had grown ever more numerous,

The Mifan Dao lineage inheritance came from the Wanglin Upper Sect of Jiangbei. When the Moonlight Origin Mansion was still manifested in this world, the Wanglin Upper Sect had already severed its Dao lineage... Would this thing not have long since fallen into the hands of the Wanglin Upper Sect? Then how could the Immortal Mirror in that so-called previous life's hands have been complete?

The master of the Moonlight Origin Mansion had indeed possessed this Immortal Mirror. It was known as peerless in both formations and talismans, with scarcely any opponents under heaven. Even if he was not an Immortal Lord, he would at least have been a Dao Embryo[1]!

The Immortal Mirror can sense its fragments. With his ability, entering and leaving the Mifan grotto heaven would have been child's play. He could have taken it directly. This shows that at present... it is still within the scheme he laid.

Lu Jiangxian could remain silent as he examined it carefully,

This Registering Name Stone has a range limit and likewise relies upon talisman seeds. The range covered by divine sense goes without saying. For those registered in this world outside that range, if their souls attempt to communicate upward or downward with the Registering Name Stone, talisman seed must respond to receive them to avoid detection by others.

After all, only talisman seeds possess this kind of responsive ability. That is not difficult. There is a surplus of talisman seeds now, and it is not as though one person occupies one position. When a response is needed, they only need to receive it. Place a few within and it will be more than enough.

Lu Jiangxian now had twelve talisman seeds. Eight were with the Li Family, and the remaining four were kept with him. Though they were gradually becoming tight in number, they were still sufficient. At the very least, he could place one inside and still have three left to use.

He extended his hand. The four white pellets linked end to end and were first cast into the Registering Name Stone for use. Only then did he turn his gaze toward the great void.

The Mifan Dao lineage... was actually preserved...

When the Supreme Yang Dao lineage had been ambushed by a Buddhist cultivator, the Jiangbei platform planned by Tinglan had also largely collapsed. Earlier, the Supreme Yang Dao lineage had swarmed in to divide the immortal resources within the grotto heaven, but that scene was gone. To speak plainly, the events of the past were better seen as a transaction with Luoxia. The descent of the grotto heaven was compensation from Luoxia to Supreme Yang. Now they were simply running errands for Luoxia in vain, suffering losses without gaining much benefit.

Now that the True Monarch within the great void had departed, Jiangbei was no longer as dangerous as before. Lu Jiangxian watched and sensed that something was amiss.

Moreover, although the Golden Feather Sect falls under Luoxia, many among them harbor different intentions. They have exchanged glances and cultivated ties with the Supreme Yang Dao lineage in the past, and the Supreme Yang Dao lineage was eager to stabilize the Golden Feather Sect. Now they have openly abandoned the Golden Tang Gate and lost their tacit understanding with the Azure Pond Sect. It seems Jiangbei is still full of undercurrents...

He waved his hand to disperse the phantom in his grasp and flicked the air. The Registering Name Stone shone brilliantly, and several white talismans drifted out, each seeming to possess its own spirit as they hung themselves upon the branches.

Jinlian, Five-Eyed, Buzi...

When this white talisman of Jinlian was turned over, the reverse bore the name Dangjiang. Although Maha Jinlian had only come once and had his soul divided, that trace of true spirit could not escape. His connection to the world within the mirror was even deeper than that of the others.

Now Jinlian had repaired his injuries, yet the loss within his soul was not easily healed. Who knew what spirit herbs he had secretly used. At least on the surface, he no longer appeared as though part of his soul was missing.

At present, no restrictions are needed. With a single thought, whether it is Five-Eyed or Jinlian, they have truly fallen into my hands.

Following the flow of events, Lu Jiangxian opened a pavilion within the grotto heaven for the Li Family to use. His heart gradually settled as he thought to himself,

I'll take advantage of this moment to establish the connection, and also pass down the method of obtaining cultivation techniques along with that cave dwelling.

1. A realm above the Golden Core Realm. Possibly another name for Nascent Soul (ancient name) ☜