The old man before him readily agreed, "Of course!"
Li Suining's expression grew solemn as he paced before the cave dwelling, deep in thought, Li Jieyi.
It was not that Li Suining knew nothing of Guangchan. He even knew that his secular name was Li Jieyi. But when speaking of Li Jieyi, there was no avoiding the Undefeated King of Brightness.
The Undefeated King of Brightness had once been a figure of Great Liang who occupied a small Buddhist land. Although this Buddhist King was often considered part of the Great Mahayana Dharma Realm, he did not actually belong to the Seven Dharma Forms and was even somewhat close to the ancient Buddhist cultivators. He was also one of the Tuoba Family's most important pillars of support.
When the Tuoba Family proclaimed themselves emperors, he was already a Seventh Incarnation Maha. He became the Dharma Master near the end of Liang, and his might could only be described as terrifying once he was with that legendary small Buddhist land. Yet he, too, fell near the end of Liang.
He murmured, "The last Liang emperor drowned, but in essence, that was the fall of Emperor Wu of Liang... The Undefeated King of Brightness fell along with him... Could they have touched upon the Bright Yang Dao..."
The Undefeated King of Brightness had five devil sons under him, all terrifying devils of immense power who slew and converted others one after another in the Buddhist King's service. Li Jieyi himself was a descendant of the fifth son. His ancestor took refuge among one of the esteemed clans when Liang fell, and had been fortunate enough to survive.
The reason Li Suining knew all this so clearly was simply that Li Jieyi would indeed become quite famous in the future!
By all rights, he shouldn't have come south at this point. He was supposed to remain in the north and become the King of Wei's opponent during his northern campaign... until that Great Peacock of the Dao of Great Desire brought about [Life Reborn]!
Li Suining fell into silence. Even now, looking back on those events, the feeling was difficult to put into words. The Great Desire Dao, which had been riven by open and covert struggles for a thousand years, had erupted into an utterly terrifying internal conflict that had shaken the realm and stunned the entire world. It had escalated to the point where all taboos were cast aside and Dharma Masters had manifested in this world!
The Great Desire Dao had surged to prominence in a single bound, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Compassion Dao as the two fought for the foremost position among the Seven Dharma Forms!
Although this upheaval had nothing to do with the Li Family, it had completely reshaped the balance among the Seven Dharma Forms!
Que Liyu, the Maha of the Great Desire Dao, had emerged from seclusion after completing his cultivation and headed south with the three Buddhist heirs born through [Life Reborn]. Their arrival had sent shockwaves through Jiangbei, even alarming the Compassion Dao, which had originally intended to sit back and watch events unfold, forcing it to head south as well. Only then did the later horror of the [Changhe Rebellion] come to pass.
And the one most closely connected to the Li Family... was one of those three Buddhist heirs of the Great Desire Dao, Maha Lingci, the Left Dread Attendant, whose secular name was Li Chengpan!
When Que Liyu brought Lingci south, they immediately came into direct conflict with Li Jieyi as they sought to seize the small Buddhist land in his possession. This indirectly forced the Great Mahayana Dharma Realm to throw its full support behind Li Jieyi, thereby raising Maha Guangchan to prominence.
And now... he's come south this early!
Li Suining pondered inwardly, but overall, he was not overly alarmed. A suspicion had already formed in his mind, This transformation wouldn't have been caused by Guest Cultivator Ding. It must be because of Daoist Master Zhaojing. Since he wasn't trapped in the Western Sea, he returned unscathed. The lake is no longer defended by the King of Wei, but by the Daoist Master. If the northern cultivators want his life, they naturally won't keep testing the waters and holding back as they did in my previous life. They'll launch an aggressive assault instead!
But with the Great Song shielding them, things still won't go too far. He never fell into the Western Sea, and Radiance Under Heaven has already been completed! It's happened early... by more than ten whole years...
Escaping from the Western Sea had indeed drawn even more attempts to encircle and kill them, but as long as Li Ximing remained safe, it was all worth it! The moment he heard that Li Ximing had reached the southern border safe and sound, Li Suining’s heart settled.
Overall, there haven't been any major changes... and this transformation isn't necessarily a bad thing either!
He had only just calmed down when doubts began to rise in his mind, But this sealing of the mountain...
That was not good. In his previous life, Li Suining had lived through many storms and upheavals, yet he had never heard of a measure like this, one that was practically house arrest!
Could it be that in my previous life, I simply wasn't conspicuous enough to have heard about it?
He silently entered the cave dwelling and paced twice before the meditation cushion as he thought, Uncle Jiangchun really did rarely show himself in my previous life... but I still went to see him, and I was able to meet him... Yet now, it almost seems as though no one is allowed to see me at all...
A sense of dread rose in Li Suining's heart. Only after a long while did he finally raise his brows. Could something have gone wrong somewhere... and the Daoist Master suspects me?
He took a piece of cloth from his sleeve, dipped his brush in ink, and after a moment's thought, wrote out a lengthy greeting.
Li Suining mentioned his breakthrough, then asked about the sealing of the mountain. This was not difficult to handle. On the surface, he was merely a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator who never left his dwelling, but with the experience from his previous life and his understanding of the current situation, no matter what excuse the other side gave, Li Suining could easily judge whether it was true or false!
He therefore called the old man in and instructed, "Elder Du, do you know where Little Uncle is?"
Although Li Jiangchun was an extraordinary genius rarely seen in an age, he conducted himself with extreme discretion and caution. Du Dou could only reply, "I only heard that he is within the inner formation. I don't know exactly where inside."
Li Suining instructed, "Just take my letter, place it in a storage pouch, and don't take it out. Deliver it all the way to the inner formation and have someone pass it to him."
Du Dou hurriedly nodded, took the letter and rushed out, leaving Li Suining alone to pace a few steps in unease before sighing inwardly. Hopefully I'm just overthinking this!
————
Du Dou hurried down the mountain. After crossing the lake and reaching the island, he stopped some distance from the inner formation and bowed. "Lord Chen, please deliver this letter on behalf of my master."
The cultivator guarding the inner formation wore a solemn expression. His hair was completely white, and he sat cross-legged before the formation with his hands forming a seal, like an old monk deep in meditation. Though he looked extremely old, his back remained perfectly straight, and a long sword was strapped across it. This was none other than the aged Chen Donghe.
Chen Donghe was a veteran who had served through several generations and was a son-in-law of the third lineage, giving him an astonishingly high seniority. He should have been spending his final years peacefully at home, but ever since Li Qiuyang passed away in meditation, he could no longer sit idle and insisted on taking up duties again.
Li Jiangzong did not dare slight him, and after much consideration, assigned him to guard the inner formation.
Chen Donghe’s voice was grave as he said, "You are one of Suining's people?"
"Yes!"
Chen Donghe took the letter and meticulously inspected it from top to bottom, even drawing upon the power of the formation to examine it. He then turned to look at Du Dou and, seeing him dressed entirely in plain mourning clothes, asked, "News of Jiman's passing... has already reached you!"
Caught off guard by the question, Du Dou answered cautiously, "Elder, that lord has indeed passed away!"
The lord he spoke of was named Li Jiman. His cultivation was not particularly high, but he was the ruler of Eastern Mount Yue. Strictly speaking, he was one of Xuanxuan's maternal grandsons, and had once been placed there to pacify the Mount Yue tribes.
He was half of Li Family blood, and had enjoyed every splendor and luxury the mortal world could offer. He remained on the throne for nearly a century, long enough that even his sons and grandsons began thinking of rebelling against him, before finally stepping down peacefully to cultivate. Now, after failing his attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, he had at last passed away.
Since he belonged to the first lineage, Li Jiangzong had granted him a funeral of considerable stature. Even the Dili Family of Northern Mount Yue hung white mourning cloths to pay their respects from afar.