Chapter 784: Anhuai Heaven (I)
As he observed the radiant brilliance within his qi sea, Li Xuanfeng slowly recalled the incantation he had chanted when receiving the talisman, “I, Li Xuanfeng of the Li Family, respectfully invoke the Profound Light Dharma, guardian of fate and peace of mind. I vow to cultivate in accordance with the Dao, to speak and act in timely merit, to uphold truth and vow, and when the talisman burns, to surrender this body unto the Yin Realm.”
A response came from within the talisman seeds. “To this Li scion, forsake passion and impulse, halt error and fault, and sever evil at its root. We bestow the Profound Light Dharma to inspire a path of cultivation, from mortal to sage, beginning to end. First by abstention, then by ascension to truth...”
The Li Family had long pondered the talisman’s response. The full scripture was lengthy, with parts stating ‘Fate immutable, unseen by ghosts and gods,’ referring to how even Purple Mansion Realm divine arts could not deceive it, and ‘Serenity by nature, peace of heart,’ referring to the talisman seed’s power to still the mind.
So what the Li Family had pledged was, ‘To speak in timely merit, uphold vow and truth, and upon the burning of the talisman, surrender the body to the Yin Realm.’
Li Xuanfeng had once quietly spoken with his suspicious and fierce nephew, Li Yuanjiao, who had said, “In the early days, our family didn’t grasp the true situation. We took pills from the markets; how can we be sure there were no blood pills among them? Uncle once broke through using a pill, but no one knows its origin.”
Li Xuanfeng understood what his nephew left unsaid, “Our family forbade the use of blood sustenance, which was a rule passed down from Second Uncle. He once spoke of the Immortal Mirror’s people-centric path. Feeding on the mortal world... It was all a rejection of blood-based cultivation.
“If that’s true, then the pill I took back then must’ve been a blood pill, so why did the Mirror show nothing?”
They hadn’t dared to continue the conversation, and had instead silently preserved the family’s teachings. But now, seeing the white light rising in his qi sea, Li Xuanfeng’s heart finally sank, I have committed my share of wrongs, so this punishment is rightfully mine.
The soft white light shone gently down on his golden-talisman-like Immortal Foundation. It illuminated the pure from the impure, splitting them apart. A profound light emerged from within the talisman seeds.