The Foundation of a Purple Mansion Immortal Lineage

Li Zhengjun assigned people to handle the matter with care, then returned to the Yuyu Realm with the recording stone and the intelligence analysis Li Yuankai had written.

He had thought True Person Yuhong would be healing in the rear hall at this hour, and that Chongming Hall would most likely be empty.

To his surprise, the moment his figure solidified, he found a solemn scene before him: a group of people was already waiting in the hall.

Li Zhengjun was startled. After all, his ability to travel between the two realms was still a secret. Apart from a few important members of the Lineage, no one else knew.

How had these people come to be waiting here?

As he wondered, the cultivators in the hall bowed in unison and said:

"Welcome back, my lord!"

At the same time, someone used a Law Technique to channel a wisp of Spiritual Qi into a Law Artifact in the hall that resembled an ancient zither. It gave a clear, lingering hum, like a piece of jade falling into a deep pool. Its resonance echoed long beneath the dome of Chongming Hall.

Dong-

The sound rang throughout Chongming Hall, and more cultivators hurried over. In the next moment, his grandfather Yuhong appeared as well.

Ever since his grandson had taken the Lineage's younger members to the Great Scarlet Realm, Yuhong had been unable to eat or sleep in peace, and had lost even the motivation to cultivate.

Had he not needed to recuperate from the injury he suffered while helping Crimson Cloud Mountain, he would have wanted to go out and attend to matters himself, leaving Li Zhengchen in charge so that he could personally oversee the Lineage's preparations of spiritual items related to the Fetal Breath realm.

As it was, he could only select a group of reliable younger members of the Lineage to watch over Chongming Hall and notify him immediately if Li Zhengjun returned.

Before he had fully materialized, Yuhong asked urgently:

"Why have you returned so soon? Did you run into some danger?"

Warmth filled Li Zhengjun's heart. He bowed and smiled.

"True Person, there's no need to worry. Everything has gone fairly smoothly. We captured a Devil Cultivator and used the heart-questioning talisman you gave us, Grandfather, to record everything he knew. His confession and the intelligence analysis are here for you to examine."

He handed over both the recording stone and the intelligence analysis. Yuhong breathed a sigh of relief, but rather than rushing to examine them, he raised a hand and pointed into the hall.

"First, take a look at these nine people."

He stepped aside, his tone growing more solemn.

"Zhengchen handpicked them from among the Lineage's old retainers. Every one of them is knowledgeable, has managed the Lineage for many years, and can be entrusted with important matters. If you encounter any difficulties in the Great Scarlet Realm from now on, feel free to tell them and let them help you think things through."

Yuhong understood that although he was a Purple Mansion True Person, he was ultimately better at fighting and killing.

The meticulous work of managing the Lineage was best left to those who specialized in it.

Besides, he had to be constantly on guard against the covetous eyes and pressure of outside forces, leaving him with little time or attention to spare.

Hearing this, Li Zhengjun silently marveled at the efficiency of his grandfather and the Lineage head. Only a few hours had passed between his departure with the others and his return, yet they had already assembled such a well-organized and reliable team of advisers.

The cultivators had all addressed him as "my lord" just now. Li Zhengjun understood that the True Person had given them special instructions to build up his authority.

The Double Radiance Bright Yang Wheel-Nurturing Scripture placed great importance on power and authority, and its practitioners must never let their dignity suffer. His grandfather had repeatedly stressed this before, and Li Zhengjun had taken it to heart. He no longer demurred, straightening his back a little and giving everyone a slight nod.

"Thank you all for your efforts."

The nine people in the hall were all veteran cultivators over a hundred years old, yet not one showed the slightest trace of disdain. They bowed in return as one, their expressions solemn.

These Lineage elders had witnessed the Li Household at its height and watched helplessly as it slid toward the abyss day by day. Each had tossed and turned through countless late nights, racking his brains for a way out, only to find none.

Now that the Lineage had produced a True Lord seed, how could these old retainers not be excited? Every one of them had left home and livelihood behind and come to Chongming Hall, burning with enthusiasm, to devote themselves to serving Li Zhengjun.

Yuhong was very pleased with everyone's conduct. Only then did he look over the intelligence and the recording stone, grasping everything with a single glance.

He then casually transformed the items into rays of morning light and distributed them among the Lineage elders present.

After reading them, some elders fell into thought, some began discussing them, and others took out relevant records from their Storage Bags to analyze the matters described in the intelligence.

Besides the Devil Cultivator's confession, Li Zhengjun had also specifically instructed the Li Household's younger members to record the nearby scenery and local customs, simply to give his grandfather an understanding of them.

This was Yuhong's first glimpse of the Great Scarlet Realm's people and customs. His gaze lingered for a moment on its unfamiliar mountains, rivers, cities, and the many facets of mortal life, a trace of barely concealed curiosity flashing in his eyes.

But he quickly put on a stern face and suppressed that curiosity, affecting an indifferent tone.

"Zhengjun, time is pressing. You should devote your thoughts to cultivation and building up the Lineage. Of course, what you recorded wasn't entirely superfluous, but you mustn't let such things distract you again."

Li Zhengjun saw through his grandfather's little pretense but did not expose him. He merely smiled.

"Rest assured, Grandfather. The younger members traveling with us noted all of this down in passing while they were out surveying. It didn't delay our proper business."

He changed tack, bringing the conversation back to the matter at hand.

"Grandfather, after examining the confession, Yuankai concluded that since our Lineage has only just entered the Great Scarlet Realm, we must wipe out the enemy in this battle and let no one slip through the net. For that, we need two things. First, thunder talismans powerful enough to counter Devil Cultivators. Second, a grand formation capable of sealing off the entire imperial palace."

Yuhong nodded seriously, then looked at the cultivators present.

"Everyone, will there be any difficulty with this?"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone among those seated stood up.

The man was thin, with a pair of phoenix eyes that swept upward toward his temples and a few long strands of beard beneath his chin, trimmed very neatly. His bearing was less that of a cultivator than of an elderly scholar who had spent his life poring over the classics.

"True Person, thunder talismans will be no trouble. The Cultivation Method that Devil Cultivator practices is founded on Essence Blood, and the sinister Qi throughout his body is most vulnerable to Thunder Methods. Our Li Household has an Altar Thunder inheritance that is particularly effective against such sinister Law Techniques. I can personally draw up a formula, then ask Zhengchen to send over a few disciples from the Talisman Hall who are well versed in Thunder Methods. I will personally guide them in drawing the talismans. Countering a Devil Cultivation Method at the Qi Refining Stage, even across a difference in cultivation, is no difficult matter."

True Person Yuhong nodded.

"Chenbin, you only recently stepped down from the Talisman Hall, so you know its disciples' abilities best. Choose the people yourself and send Zhengchen a message directly by Jade Slip, so he can make the arrangements."

Li Chenbin cupped his hands briefly and immediately took out a Jade Slip. He sent his Divine Sense into it and, in just a few breaths, listed all the personnel and spiritual materials needed.

Meanwhile, several Lineage elders well versed in formations had held a quiet discussion. A moment later, one of them rose and said:

"True Person, my lord, we already have an idea for a formation to trap the enemy, but I'm afraid it will take some time to put together."

Li Zhengjun knew nothing of formations. After a moment's silence, he said:

"In that case, if we don't set up a formation, is there another way to stop that Devil Cultivator from escaping?"

The man shook his head with a smile.

"You misunderstand, my lord. Difficult does not mean impossible. For cultivators without the aid of a Divine Ability, a formation is still the best choice for trapping an enemy. But such a formation requires the coordination of formation patterns, flags, plates, and the allocation of Spirit Stones, making it rather complicated to operate. The thorniest problem is that the lowest-grade formations in our Li Household's stores are at the Immortal Foundation level; even those a grade lower are all at the Qi Ingestion level. The Lineage truly has no Fetal Breath-level grand formations in stock."

Li Zhengjun was taken aback, then could not help laughing. He had imagined countless possibilities: materials being hard to find, too few formation masters, not enough time. But the one thing he had never imagined was that the obstacle would be the formation's grade being too low—so low that the Lineage had to make a new one to suit the actual circumstances.

Yuhong laughed as well, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness, but even more pride.

"If it were a small Fetal Breath-level formation, I could create hundreds or thousands with a turn of my hand. But creating a formation is one thing; having youngsters like Yuankai set it up and control it is another."

He looked at the Lineage elders and said in a grave voice:

"I must ask you all to put in some extra effort. Gather the Lineage's formation resources and, as quickly as possible, tailor a trapping formation for Yuankai and the others that is simple to use and can seal off the imperial palace completely. It need not be exquisitely ingenious, only sound and reliable, and capable of being set up by three or four Fetal Breath cultivators working together."

Li Zhengjun agreed wholeheartedly. It was like a genius who could easily see through the fundamentals, but had many factors to consider when teaching a beginner to understand and apply them.

The Lineage elders conferred briefly, then looked up after a moment.

"Fortunately, the Ning Kingdom's imperial palace covers only eight hundred mu, so it isn't very large. We should be able to produce one within a day."

Yuhong reviewed all the intelligence once more. After confirming that nothing was amiss, he immediately inscribed all the elders' proposals and requirements into a sword of light and sent it flying out of the hall toward the Observing Brightness Terrace.

"I have ordered Zhengchen to assemble capable personnel from the Talisman Hall and the Formation Hall to give their full support to drawing the thunder talismans and creating the trapping formation. Make your respective preparations, and be sure to deliver everything into Zhengjun's hands before the next palace examination."

Standing in the hall, Li Zhengjun watched the sword of light streak through the air, the Lineage elders carry out their orders in an orderly manner, and his grandfather preside over it all, planning and directing from the center. An unprecedented sense of reassurance suddenly welled up in his heart.

So this is the foundation of a Purple Mansion immortal lineage. No matter what requests I make, the Lineage will take care of them all.