Chapter 231: Paying Respect to the Ancestors and Elders

Chapter 231: Paying Respect to the Ancestors and Elders

Li Tongya saw off An Zheyan, then burned incense and took a bath, before changing into his formal attire. He donned a gray robe with white cloud-patterned sleeves and slung a sword over his back, then walked to the summit of Mount Lijing.

He pushed open the doors of the ancestral hall where the ancestral tablets stood silently, surrounded by curling smoke that gave the place a solemn atmosphere.

The tablets represented the six generations of ancestors from the village records, along with Li Genshui and Li Mutian. Li Tongya was technically a descendant of the ninth generation, but if counting from the beginning of their connection to the Dao, he was a second-generation disciple.

Li Tongya gazed at the tablets amidst the swirling smoke. He kneeled and bowed three times to the leading tablets, showing proper respect, and said reverently, "I, your unworthy descendant Tongya, offer my respects to the revered ancestors and elders... I respectfully inform you all: Our family has striven diligently through seven generations to cultivate grains. My father laid the foundation with cultivation techniques, thereby connecting us to the Dao. I, the younger generation, work tirelessly from dawn till dusk, always cautious and alert, not daring to make a mistake."

His eyes moistened slightly, and he bowed deeply before continuing, "For years, old grievances have lingered—my eldest brother was slain, Western barbarians invaded and cursed my younger brother, and an expert from the immortal sect devoured my youngest sibling... Only I, Tongya, is left to manage the household alone now, holding it together for forty-two years. I have finally established my immortal foundation, and I hope this brings some comfort to all of you!"

Li Tongya straightened up after he had finished. Though he held anger in his heart, he bore no resentment. He had killed many too, invading east and expanding west. In the murky depths of this worldly pond, everyone was helplessly swept along.

He turned to the tablets of his two brothers and Li Yuanxiu. Due to pressure, he couldn't even place Li Chejing's tablet there. Li Tongya silently cupped his fist without saying much.

Li Tongya finally stepped forward and pushed open a stone door before waving his hand gently, illuminating several mana-powered candles within the stone chamber. He bowed deeply, then reached out to pick up the mirror on the stone platform.

The moment he touched it, his mind suddenly brightened. Similarly, the mirror floated in front of him, glowing much more vividly now. Through a foggy haze, he saw three beams of light descend, transforming into three glowing white pills that rotated inside the mirror.

"Profound Pearl Talisman Seeds!"

Li Tongya was overjoyed at the sight of them. Upon breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, the number of talisman seeds in the mirror had reached nine, filling him with immense delight.

"So, the number of talisman seeds depends on the strength of the one conducting the ritual... When a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator uses the mirror, nine seeds will appear!" he exclaimed to himself in utter delight.

Li Tongya had worried that the Xi and Yue generation would lack talisman seeds, but now he felt much more relieved. He bowed deeply and thought to himself, It seems that the power and mystery of the Supreme Yin Profound Light will be significantly changed as well. I wonder how effective it will be against Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators...

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In the world within the mirror, Lu Jiangxian slowly exhaled and stood up.

With Li Tongya breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, Lu Jiangxian also benefited from the feedback of the talisman seeds. Though it was not as much as when Li Chejing succeeded in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, it was still comparable to the recovery of a peak Qi Cultivation Realm talisman seed.

Li Tongya used his true essence to form a protective shield and descended into the forbidden formation. Thunder roared all around him, lightning striking his shield relentlessly.

His true essence poured out like water, but with his deep mana reserves, he resisted the lightning head-on. With help from the River Crossing Torrential Step, he landed on the island with ease.

After a dozen breaths, Li Tongya finally passed through the formation and set foot on the island, immediately feeling the abundant spiritual qi and a sense of refreshing clarity.

"This place has more spiritual qi than anywhere else I have seen... If it were not for the forbidden formation, a family would have long claimed this place!" Li Tongya marveled as he calculated his mana mentally. He had consumed over twenty percent of his power, which was equivalent to about fifty percent of a typical early-stage Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator's strength.

All around him lay broken walls and ruins, with thick weeds growing everywhere. He stepped forward, carefully avoiding the bones at his feet, and began wandering around the island.

"After a dozen years, the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators who have passed through here must have looted this place many times over. There likely is not much left of value..."

Li Tongya wandered about for an hour without finding anything, before finally landing in the center of the island. The smooth ground was covered in formation patterns.

Originally, there must have been a large structure here, but now only four pale stone pillars of varying heights remained, creating a desolate and deserted atmosphere.

In the middle was a deep well, pitch-black and seemingly bottomless. Li Tongya probed it with his spiritual sense but could not reach the bottom. He thought for a moment before placing his hands on the well's edge. The well water suddenly surged upward, bringing up muddy water from its depths.

The water gushed on endlessly, rapidly depleting Li Tongya's sea of qi, and draining another twenty percent of his mana. He drew up a mass of water the size of a small hill, and the well water trickled out like a small stream, flowing away in accordance with the terrain.

Li Tongya was delighted as he beckoned, and a jade box flew out of the well's bottom. The complex patterns on the box felt warm to the touch.

Li Tongya flicked his fingers, and the jade box opened, only to reveal that it was completely empty.

"Huh?!" Li Tongya froze for a moment before letting out a laugh and said softly, "I have indeed come too late."

The box's contents had obviously been taken already. The person who took them likely wasn't skilled in water manipulation but knew some divine abilities or spells. They had managed to effortlessly steal the contents from a distance, leaving only an exquisite empty jade box in its place at the bottom of the well.

"Although the contents are gone, the jade box itself is no ordinary item. Its surface is covered in formation patterns, so it can likely store spirit items of even the Purple Mansion Realm... Its material is also unparalleled, so this trip isn't completely a waste!"

Li Tongya turned the jade box over in his hands, satisfied, and nodded. He hadn't hoped for much to begin with, so the discovery of a fine jade box was a pleasant surprise.

He placed the box away and sat down cross-legged to meditate for half an hour before taking to the wind again, breaking through the forbidden formation and heading north.