Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 232 - 215: The Grand Ancestral Worship

Li Tongya bid farewell to An Zhiyan, burned the incense to bathe, changed into a formal attire, a gray robe with white cloud-like patterns on the sleeves, strapped on his sword, and walked on foot to the top of Lijing Mountain. He pushed open the doors of the ancestral hall, where the tablet inscriptions stood in silence, particularly solemn amidst the billowing smoke.

These were the six generations of ancestors recorded in the village annals, including Li Genshui and Li Mutian, which made Li Tongya actually a descendant of nine generations. However, if counted from the time he first encountered the Immortal Path, Li Tongya was a disciple of the second generation.

Li Tongya looked towards the many rows of tablets in the misty haze, and before the foremost row, he kowtowed three times and conducted a grand ceremony, reverently addressing:

"As an unworthy descendant, Tongya respectfully pays tribute to our esteemed ancestors and informs my elder kin! Our family has worked diligently for seven generations, seeking harvests of grains, until my father established his enterprise and obtained the Dharma, thus entering the Immortal Path. I have been diligent day and night, cautious as if treading on thin ice, always careful and prudent, daring not to be negligent."

His eyes slightly moist, he bowed slowly as he continued:

"For many a year, a longing harbored—my elder brother slain, barbarians invading, their curses laid upon my siblings, and the nobles of Immortal Sect consumed my younger brother. It was only Tongya who took charge of the family, and for forty-two years to this day. I have finally built the Immortal Foundation, which may bring some comfort to my elders."

Li Tongya stood up straight; his heart harbored resentments, yet he had no grievances to voice. The people he himself had killed were numerous, pressing from all sides, greedy, angry, and murderous, sunk deep in the murky depths of the mortal world's pool, where everyone was compelled against their will.

Turning around, by his side were the tablets of his two brothers and that of Li Yuanxiu. Due to pressure, he didn't even dare to place Li Chijin's tablet there. Li Tongya silently bowed his hands and said no more.

Finally, Li Tongya took a step forward, pushed open the stone door, and waved his hand lightly. Several mana candles illuminated inside the stone chamber. After giving another grand bow, he reached out to take the Dharma Mirror from the stone platform.

The moment he touched the Dharma Mirror, Li Tongya's mind brightened sharply. In front of him, the Dharma Mirror floated up, its color growing much brighter. In a daze, Li Tongya saw three streaks of light descending rapidly, transforming into three lustrous white pills, swirling inside the Mirror.

"Mysterious Pearl Talisman Seed!"

Li Tongya was overjoyed. As he achieved Foundation Establishment, the number of Talisman Seeds in the Dharma Mirror also reached nine, filling him with immense joy. He murmured:

"So the number of Talisman Seeds is generated according to the strength of the one performing the ritual. A Foundation Establishment Cultivator can condense nine using the Dharma Mirror!"

Li Tongya was still worried about the younger generation not having any Talisman Seeds to use. At this moment, he breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much more at ease. He bowed respectfully and pondered:

"It seems that the power and wonder of Taiyin Profound Light must have significantly changed as well. I wonder how it fares against Foundation Establishment Cultivators…"

————

Within the Mirror World.

Lu Jiangxian exhaled slowly and stood up.

Following Li Tongya's Foundation Establishment breakthrough, he too received feedback from the Talisman Seeds and benefited greatly from it. Although it was far less than the gains when Li Chijin succeeded in Foundation Establishment, it was still comparable to one Peak Qi Cultivation Talisman Seed recovered.

"Li Tongya's breakthrough to Foundation Establishment seemed all too easy."

Lu Jiangxian frowned slightly. He had witnessed Li Tongya's entire breakthrough process. While Li Tongya attributed it to the Mysterious Pearl Talisman Seed and Talisman Qi, Lu Jiangxian knew that neither of these was supposed to increase the chance of a Foundation Establishment breakthrough. Instead, at the Zifu Realm, Talisman Qi could significantly aid in the coalescing of Divine Skills.

"'River Qi Decision', 'Deep Sea Long Whale Script'…"

Lu Jiangxian had some hypotheses but was not daring to be certain, silently musing:

"Wait for a few more successes within the Li family, and the pattern there might be deciphered."

He gestured with his hand, and the Green Peak sword erected on a large rock at the mountain summit leaped into the air. Receiving the longsword, Lu Jiangxian threw it gently and asked:

"Is there still anyone you find worthy of notice?"

The Green Peak paused for a moment, emitted light gradually, vibrated deeply, and settled back atop the green rock, motionless once more.

"It seems that Li Tongya and Li Yuanjiao's innate talent for the Sword Dao is still lacking,"

Lu Jiangxian shook his head. This Green Peak sword was not something just anyone could handle – one must possess Sword Dao talent almost equal to that of Li Chijin to withstand this sword technique. Furthermore, it wasn't something one could master overnight. Instead, it would transform into a sword scar between the brows, gradually enhancing the host's Sword Path cultivation.

Patting the tabletop, Lu Jiangxian picked up a small book that he had compiled over the past decade or so, filled with sorcery. After pondering for a while, a line of text automatically appeared on the book's surface.

"Mysterious Witchcraft Technique"

He flicked off the dust on the book cover and placed the book back on the tabletop, contemplating to himself,

"This witchcraft is also not something anyone can practice. In a few years, if someone from the Li Family emerges with a Spiritual Sense unlike ordinary people, I will bestow it upon them to verify their learning..."

-------------

After leaving the ancestral hall, Li Tongya felt much better. He looked around his Cave Mansion and found that Li Xuanfeng was in closed-door cultivation and Li Xuanxuan was studying Talisman Technique. Li Tongya thought to himself,

"Qinghong is still with the Fei Clan. It's a good opportunity to notify Fei Wangbai and bring Qinghong back."

Having made up his mind, Li Tongya rose into the air, taking off from Lijing Mountain and crossing over the deep cyan waters of the lake. After flying over the lake for a while, a vast continent appeared before him, its splendor flickering and sounds of thunder fire echoing. Faintly visible below were the broken walls and ruins of what used to be Wangyue Lake Marketplace.

Upon seeing this, Li Tongya's heart stirred. When the marketplace was destroyed years ago, Chen Tao of the Ling Yu Sect had activated a formation that was shattered by the Thunderstrike Array-breaking Wedge, setting up a Forbidden Formation. At that time, he had been merely a Qi Cultivator and could only watch helplessly. Now that he had broken through to Foundation Establishment, he could descend to the continental core to take a look.

Girding himself with the Dharma Shield using True Yuan, Li Tongya descended into the Forbidden Formation. In an instant, a torrent of thunderbolt strikes bombarded his Dharma Shield, his True Yuan flowing away like water. Fortunately, his mana was profound; he resisted the lightning with sheer mana and started to move towards the surface of the continent using the River Rapids Step.

After some ten breaths' time, Li Tongya finally penetrated the Great Formation and landed on the continent, instantly feeling enlivened by the rich spiritual energy.

"The spiritual energy here is more abundant than any other place I've seen. Had it not been for the difficulty of dealing with the Forbidden Formation, families would have likely claimed this place long ago."

Li Tongya exclaimed in admiration, then calculated his mana—over twenty percent had been depleted, nearly the half of what an ordinary early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator would expend.

All around were ruins and rampant grasses thrived. He took a step forward, avoiding the white bones at his feet, and began to make his way through the continent.

"With numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators having scoured this place for over a decade, there's probably not much left of value."

After wandering around for half an hour without any finds, Li Tongya flew directly to the central area. He saw a smooth ground covered in formation patterns. There should have been a large structure here once, but now only four pale stone columns remained, uneven in height, desolate and cold.

At the center was a deep well, black and bottomless. Li Tongya probed into it with his Spiritual Sense but found nothing even at the limit of his perception. After a moment of contemplation, he pressed his hands on the wellhead, and water suddenly gushed forth, bringing up murky mud from the depths.

As water surged endlessly from the well, Li Tongya's Qi Sea gradually depleted – it cost him another twenty percent of his mana to draw out enough water to fill a small hill. The water from the well flowed gently like a trickling stream, following the terrain into the distance. Li Tongya's face lit up with joy, and with a wave of his hand, a jade box flew out from the bottom of the well. It was intricately patterned and felt warm to the touch.

Li Tongya flicked his finger, and the jade box opened instantly, but it was completely empty inside.

"Ha!"

Li Tongya paused, unable to help but let out a chuckle, murmuring softly,

"Indeed, I've come too late."

The contents of the jade box were clearly taken by someone who, although possibly less adept at the Water Control Technique, must have possessed some Divine Skills or spells, extracting the items from the jade box through the deep well with ease, leaving only the exquisite box behind at the bottom of the well.

"Although I missed out on the contents of the box, this jade box is no ordinary item. Its densely arrayed patterns can likely preserve the Spiritual Objects of the Zifu Stage without issue, and its material is unlike any I've seen. It's not a wasted trip after all!"

Li Tongya examined the jade box over and over for a while, nodding his head in satisfaction. He hadn't held out much hope and was pleasantly surprised to find a respectable jade box. His mood improved further still. With a flip of his hand, he put away the jade box, sat cross-legged to adjust his breathing for a quarter of an hour, and then rose on the wind, breaking through the Forbidden Formation and heading north.