Hearing him mention something the way of Great Compassion and Joyous Lotus, Lu Jiangxian immediately understood that this person was a Buddhist cultivator, potentially a Dharma Master who was as powerful as a Golden Core Realm immortal cultivator. He was secretly shocked but knew nothing much of the relationships between these Revered Ones and Dao Embryos.

Wanting to coax this Maha into revealing more information, he merely sneered and snorted coldly, "Heh!"

Maha Jinlian was greatly alarmed, thinking to himself, Indeed... this is an immortal. Even a Revered One comparable to a Dao Embryo is just a junior in front of him... This spells trouble...

He knocked his head to the ground repeatedly, begging loudly for mercy. Lu Jiangxian glanced at him and sneered. "I have been out of the world for a long time... Now, even such riffraff dares to spy on me!"

Lu Jiangxian originally intended to boast about being away for millennia, but realizing that too many words could cause mistakes, he decided to speak vaguely. Maha Jinlian observed the ancient patterns on the ground, feeling a sense of age, and thought to himself, I have never seen this... it must be at least a thousand years old! No wonder… No wonder!

In his heart, he cursed, How long did this old monster seclude himself to miss such cataclysmic events? No wonder he is still in the world... It's my misfortune to encounter such an old monster...

Maha Jinlian fawningly smiled, slapped his own face twice, and bowed, saying, "Please forgive me, Exalted Immortal… Since the upheaval sixteen hundred years ago, even Revered Ones and Dao Embryos have disappeared. This humble monk meant no offense... Please have mercy, Exalted Immortal!"

Lu Jiangxian reclined at the top as he listened, slowly furrowing his brows. He had heard that a war between the immortals and devils had taken place fifteen or sixteen hundred years ago. His heart was stirred, and he thought, There is indeed a problem. Given the nature of these Purple Mansion Golden Core Daoists and Mahas Dharma Masters, there must be an issue behind this Immortal-Devil War...

He shook his head slightly, feigning confusion as he said, "Upheaval? I have been out of the world for a long time and sensed vaguely that something was amiss..."

Maha Jinlian nodded repeatedly, answering, "The Heavenly Dao encountered problems, and the Three Disasters and Nine Tribulations dissipated… You should have felt it too, Exalted Immortal. Since then, there have been no restrictions, no disasters or difficulties. We, who were imprisoned by Heaven and Earth for millions of years, finally gained great freedom and great enlightenment..."

Great freedom... Great enlightenment...

These words thundered in Lu Jiangxian's mind, stirring waves of thoughts within him. He kept his face calm and nodded subtly, his face blurring.

The time of one incense stick is almost up… Lu Jiangxian thought as he felt slightly anxious, knowing that he did not have enough time to delve into these matters further.

He seized this opportunity to search for a way to break through and asked in a low voice, "Which Metallic Essences remain unpracticed in Jiangnan?"

Maha Jinlian was stunned, unable to grasp why an immortal would ask such a question. Still, he thought for a moment and replied, "The Xu State has no significant Dao lineages... The three sects and seven gates of Yue State and the four sects and nine families of Wu State have lost the Supreme Yang and Supreme Yin. Only some thunder techniques and one or two types of water and metal essences are missing..."

Lu Jiangxian could no longer wait for him to prattle on, he needed to prompt him to think about these things. The fragment of Maha Jinlian's spirit was at his mercy in the mirror. Lu Jiangxian gathered moonlight in his hand, stirring Maha Jinlian's thoughts while he was deep in contemplation, trying to retain as much information as possible.

Lu Jiangxian was not adept at soul-capturing techniques, and his efforts caused Maha Jinlian to tremble as his eyes bulged and he cried out, "Exalted Immortal, spare me! Spare me!"

Lu Jiangxian's spell could not be sustained for long, and Maha Jinlian could not endure such torment any longer. The fragment of his spirit burst with a bang, leaving nothing behind.

Lu Jiangxian waved his hand to dismiss the illusion, then looked at the cluster of golden light in his hand. With a stir of his divine sense, he gained an understanding of most of the Purple Mansion Realm divine abilities in Jiangnan.

So that's how it is... The Azure Pond Sect and the Golden Feather Sect are backed by early-stage Golden Core Realm cultivators who cultivated the Clear Water Origin Talisman Core and the Golden Supreme Origin Green Core... The Yue Cultivating Sect has a mid-stage Golden Core Realm cultivator...

Lu Jiangxian then understood why these three sects were known as the three sects. It was because all three were following the Golden Core Dao lineage.

Even if these Golden Core Realm cultivators and Dharma Masters did not care about secular Dao lineages, it did not change the fact that the Azure Pond Sect and the Lotus Temple were formidable.

"Difficult... Too difficult..."

Lu Jiangxian could not help but click his tongue in admiration. Growing up within such a colossal entity as the Azure Pond Sect, lying low for a century to break through to the Purple Mansion Realm, and finally becoming independent while making peace with the Azure Pond Sect—Xiao Chuting's means were extraordinary. Although Xiao Chuting remained silent and lacked a resounding reputation, his character and talent were top-notch.

While marveling at Xiao Chuting's impressive methods, Lu Jiangxian was deeply worried about the dire situation in Jiangnan. He mumbled, "I thought I could let the Li Family develop on their own, but as soon as a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator emerges in Jiangnan, it immediately blocks the five pathways related to immortal foundations. Purple Mansion Realm cultivators have a lifespan of five hundred years... If I cannot find a path for the Li Family in time, who knows how much time will need to be wasted."

Lu Jiangxian sorted through the memories of Maha Jinlian, finding mostly Buddhist cultivation methods, which were all rather sinister. Naturally, Lu Jiangxian did not want to use them. After flipping through them, he finally found a suitable cultivation method.

"Golden Palace Radiant Origin Manual, a Grade Four cultivation technique… The immortal foundation it forms is called the Radiant Origin Pass. Although the required Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth is somewhat difficult to gather, it comes with a corresponding method for gathering qi. This immortal foundation was once cultivated by the northern immortal sects, and there is no inheritance of it in Jiangnan. This is perfect! The only problem is..."

Lu Jiangxian sighed softly, feeling somewhat helpless.

This technique only reaches the Foundation Establishment Realm and stops at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm, with no further path to the Purple Mansion Realm.

With a light flick of his sleeve, he conjured a golden book in his hand. Lu Jiangxian took up his brush and transcribed the Golden Palace Radiant Origin Manual, flipping through a few pages.

He then placed it alongside the shamanic spell book and murmured, "I will bestow this upon the generation of Xi and Yue. No matter what, this is still a better choice than those Grade Three techniques or any technique that has already produced a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator. Li Tongya has already been targeted by one… continuing to cultivate the River One Qi Technique is a bad move."

Lu Jiangxian understood well that if a Li Family cultivator achieved an immortal foundation and died, regardless of the distance, all their cultivation would be absorbed by him. This was verified by Li Chejing, which directly led to Chi Wei's failure to break through.

"In other words, no matter who is targeting Li Tongya, they will eventually fail. They will not be able to refine divine abilities for that Purple Mansion Realm and will have to find another Boundless Ocean to devour. If the disciples from the Li Family continue to cultivate this technique, they will just die prematurely… one after another. After three or five cases, a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator will definitely grow suspicious, and that would be troublesome…"

Having made so much progress in planning the future of the Li Family after a long period of idleness, Lu Jiangxian felt exhausted. He was inherently a lazy and unmotivated person. Placing the Golden Palace Radiant Origin Manual before him to avoid forgetting it, he then drifted back into his dreams.

Minghui had been waiting on the ground for the duration of one incense stick. Seeing Maha Jinlian's small face covered in cold sweat and occasionally trembling, it was clear he was under a spell.

Minghui's face turned mournful, and he lamented in his heart, It's over... It's over... That immortal cultivator must be more than just a Golden Core Realm cultivator! Now even Master might lose his life...

Raised by Maha Jinlian from a young age, despite his Master's volatile temper and frequent beatings, he had taught him many things and personally awakened his wisdom. Minghui held this kindness deeply in his heart. At this moment, he was filled with both sorrow and self-blame, crying out in anguish.

Unexpectedly, Maha Jinlian, with a vacant expression, opened his eyes, looking as if he had just awoken from a long dream. He frowned upon seeing him and said, "Minghui, didn't I send you to escort Lord Murong? Why have you returned so soon?"