The Mirror Legacy Chapter 1782

Diyan smiled faintly at the astonishment in Li Ximing’s eyes and said, “After crossing the Purple Mansion Threshold, I spent thirty years cultivating the Dao and refining my divine abilities before firmly establishing myself as a Grand Daoist Master. Then I spent another twenty years considering what my final divine ability should be. The final art recorded in the [Dao Scroll of Resplendent Radiance and the Bright Palace] is precisely [Bright Yang].”

He began to pace slowly as he said, “If I continued along the path of Radiant Essence, I could naturally bring my divine abilities to completion. But the Radiant Essence Dao lineage I cultivate was altered by the Celestial Dynasty, and is already entirely different from the one that exists today. If I were to tack the modern path onto it as a crude continuation, I might complete the divine ability, but seeking Gold would become hopeless.”

A trace of doubt appeared on Li Ximing’s face as he asked quietly, “But the [Dao Scroll of Resplendent Radiance and the Bright Palace] can lead to Dao attainment. Your ancestor failed because he relied too heavily on external profundities, whereas you cultivate from your own innate nature, so you would have had a strong chance of succeeding?”

Diyan merely shook his head and smiled. “Your highness is mistaken. There is no strong chance of success. It is still a path to certain death.”

Diyan’s smile grew colder as he continued, “Seeking the Intercalary Position of Bright Yang is certain to fail. Not only will I fail to attain it, but the moment I take that step, my death will already be near!”

Li Ximing stared at him blankly, only to see Diyan continue pacing with a smile, his voice soft and distant. “There is one thing your highness guessed correctly. The Imperial Monarch has not truly perished, at least not yet. The [Dao Scroll of Resplendent Radiance and the Bright Palace] that he personally left behind, along with the [Resplendent Gold-Gathering Method] contained within it, still retains its efficacy before the Fruition Position of Bright Yang.

“But your highness must also have considered this. [Bright Yang] has indeed not undergone any true transformation, but [Radiant Essence] already has! The old Dao lineage can still be cultivated, but it is no longer compatible with Bright Yang!

“The moment [Radiant Origin Pass] was completed, the four [Radiant Essence] divine abilities within me were immediately thrown into upheaval. Their radiance turned inward, green and white merging into one. As time passes, darkness will soon breed within them, damaging and eventually shattering my Shenyang!”

Li Ximing’s doubts were suddenly confirmed, and everything became clear in his mind.

Now this makes sense! This is the outcome I expected… No matter how shallow my Dao conduct may be, I still understand how demanding it is to cultivate even one divine ability from another Dao. How could anyone possibly cultivate divine abilities from Dao lineages that directly conflict in the current order of the world? Once Bright Yang is completed, it will already be a miracle if he can survive even six months to a year without perishing!

Sure enough, Diyan turned his gaze toward the bronze lamp beside him. He lightly adjusted its wick and said, “Only by using these [Thirty-Two Night-Replacing Profound Bronze Treasure Lamps] to create this chamber, blending Virile Fire with dawn radiance so that they resonate with the Three Yangs, and borrowing the lingering master-and-subordinate relationship among the other two Yangs, can I suppress the four Radiant Essence divine abilities and one Bright Yang divine ability within me.”

Li Ximing once again swept his gaze across the vast hall amid the paulownia trees and raised his brows. “So you had already prepared for this long ago, Senior.”

“I was not the one who made these preparations.” Diyan lowered his gaze and turned to look at Li Ximing, his expression calm. “When Bright Yang fell, my ancestor Yin Quan had already crossed the Purple Mansion Threshold. At first, things were still manageable, and he could continue wandering the outer-sea. Later, as the Emperor of Qi’s actions grew increasingly severe, signs gradually appeared that his divine abilities were beginning to disintegrate. He suppressed them with a Three-Yang Formation while carefully studying the problem.

“Before his death, he left behind this formation diagram. My grandfather and father successively refined and constructed it, combining it with the many secret techniques recorded in the [Dao Scroll of Resplendent Radiance and the Bright Palace]. Only then did we finally create the [Radiant Suppressing Three-Yang Hall] and the [Thirty-Two Night-Replacing Profound Bronze Treasure Lamps] that you see today.”

Li Ximing listened in silence for a long while, realizing that Mount Qusi had not been planning this for merely a few days or years, but for centuries, perhaps even a thousand years.

He then asked gravely, “Grand Daoist Master… What exactly do you need the King of Wei for?”

Diyan suddenly opened his eyes, his expression solemn. “I need the King of Wei to succeed… I am the only person who truly cares whether he succeeds.”

As his emotions stirred, ring after ring of flame-like patterns surfaced within his pupils, interlaced with fractured black markings.

“When I said that I am the only person the King of Wei can trust, those were not empty words. Everyone under heaven wants to shake Bright Yang, while some seek to hold Mount Luoxia in check, but none of them actually cares whether the King of Wei succeeds. As far as they are concerned, it would be even better if he failed!

“The dragons have surely spoken with absolute conviction, but they are merely following the tide and wagering little for the chance of a great return. Even if the plan fails, the dragons will lose nothing more than a slight advantage and a few opportunities!

“Only I do.”

His tone was as hard as iron and stone, his gaze icy. “Only if the King of Wei succeeds and Bright Yang rises once more to suppress Radiant Essence will all the divine abilities within me naturally transform from an Unorthodox Dao into a glorious Orthodox Dao. Only then can I walk freely out of this place and descend those sixteen profound steps to seek Gold and True. Then only can I stake everything on one final attempt!

“Otherwise, I am nothing more than dry bones awaiting the grave, sitting here until death comes for me!”
𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Li Ximing met his gaze directly. The last trace of suspicion in his heart surfaced, but seeing the sincerity in Diyan’s expression and finding no hint of pretense, he finally broke his silence and said gravely, “You possess extraordinary talent and rank among the finest figures in the entire mainland, Senior. Even if you had simply cultivated [Radiant Essence] normally, how could your achievements possibly have been lacking?”

His eyes shone intensely, carrying a hint of grief as he continued, “How does the King of Wei today compare with Li Xunquan? How does he compare with Li Xuan? How does he compare with Donghuo? When Li Xunquan raised his righteous army, he nearly brought Great Qi to ruin. Cui Mu and Donghuo once assumed the might of a True Monarch and awed the cultivators of the north. Even Li Xuan had the land of Long-Wei, where he reigned supreme and never had to bow beneath another!

“Now the northern Buddhists run rampant and come and go as they please. Great Song stands at the height of its splendor, seeking to seize Bright Yang by investiture, while Mount Luoxia shepherds the manifest positions and stands poised to banish the Imperial Monarch.

“If the King of Wei fails, the efforts of generations of Mount Qusi will inevitably come to nothing. Why must Daoist Master take such a dangerous path? Why entrust your very chance of seeking Gold to another person’s success? What is wrong with simply cultivating Radiant Essence? What is wrong with reincarnating and cultivating anew?”

His words were sharp and decisive, striking straight at Diyan. “Why would a Grand Daoist Master capable of completing all five divine abilities willingly bind himself in a cocoon of his own making?”

Diyan merely let out a quiet laugh. Without even a moment’s consideration, he answered in a quiet, steady voice, “Because of the method for seeking Gold.”

Li Ximing had prepared himself for all manner of answers, yet he had never expected those words. He stared at Diyan. “The method for seeking Gold?”

Diyan’s bronze-colored eyes flickered. “The most important thing is precisely the method for seeking Gold.”

His expression grew so solemn that it bordered on reverence, and his lips moved as he said in a hushed voice, “The Imperial Monarch specially bestowed the [Resplendent Gold-Gathering Method], thereby creating the Great Dao in which four Radiant Essence divine abilities elevate [Radiant Origin Pass] toward immortality. It is a method for seeking Gold, a secret of True Gold, an immortal text of the Great Dao. Only with the [Resplendent Gold-Gathering Method] does seeking the Intercalary Position of Bright Yang truly become possible!”

As Diyan’s emotions surged, the flames throughout the hall began to sway. Radiant Essence and Virile Fire, so dense they were almost tangible, flowed like a flood and strained against their restraints. In response, the radiance of the Three Yangs manifested across the heavens above, pressing down upon the entire building.

Diyan paid it no mind. He stepped forward, stared directly at Li Ximing, and said calmly, “Does your highness think the [Radiant Suppressing Three-Yang Hall] and [Thirty-Two Night-Replacing Profound Bronze Treasure Lamps] were so easy to construct? Without the [Resplendent Gold-Gathering Method], Mount Qusi could spend another thousand years and still fail to create such a grand formation. Without the [Resplendent Gold-Gathering Method], even if I remained here, my divine abilities would still suddenly disintegrate!

“But as long as I possess this method for seeking Gold, I can take the great medicine formed from the union of the Three Yangs to suppress my divine abilities, step outside, and seek Gold even at the risk of damaging and shattering my Shenyang. My chances of success would still be greater than if I tried to seek Fruition Attainment alone with five Radiant Essence divine abilities!”

His expression darkened. The violent fluctuations of divine ability emanating from his body turned the entire hall into something resembling a hell on earth.

After an unknown amount of time, Diyan finally parted his lips, his expression grave. “I have no choice. The King of Wei and your highness have even fewer options than I do.”