Chapter 724: The Immortal Nun Faces the Challenge

Inside the mine tunnels of Chishan Mountain.

Li Yi, having opened the interdimensional gate, took this opportunity to absorb the power of incense and belief, fully preparing for the upcoming battle against a Mountain Lord.

As the immortal crane delivered its message, a moment passed.

Two figures suddenly appeared beside the interdimensional gate.

Two Daoist nuns crossed through the gate, arriving from the world of incense-deified spirits into the mine tunnels of Chishan Mountain in the wildlands.

These two Daoist nuns were none other than Xiangxiangzi and Xuan Yuezi.

"Another unknown and powerful world," the two nuns silently marveled; the spiritual energy here was overwhelmingly abundant—even deep within this harsh mine, they could sense many powerful presences.

"Two Immortal Nuns, I'm once again in your debt," Li Yi, who had been waiting beside the gate, bowed hastily, surprised yet respectful upon seeing them appear.

He had expected only Xuan Yuezi to come; he hadn't anticipated Xiangxiangzi would join as well.

"Taiyi, I understand your situation. Though I don't know the Mountain Lord's strength, Xiangxiangzi and I have both reached the peak of Five Qi Convergence and Three Flowers Gathering. Even if we cannot defeat him together, we will not lose." Xuan Yuezi said: "If we can attempt to kill him, that would be best."

She knew little of the wildlands, having learned only fragments from Li Yi's crane message, so she was not fully confident.

But this matter was of great importance; she would spare no effort.

It wasn't just because of the Self-Sacrifice Spell—Li Yi had aided the Seven Immortal Nuns lineage of Tian Dao Sect; out of principle and gratitude, they owed him this repayment.

"Xuan Yuezi, don't talk so defeatist. With the two of us Immortal Nuns working together, who in this world could stop us? What's so terrifying about the wildlands? Just a bunch of mindless brutes—it's time they witnessed the true subtlety of the Tian Dao Sect's Dao arts." 【40】 "This is Chijin," Li Yi took out two pieces from his Five Elements Bracelet and handed them to the two nuns.

Xiangxiangzi grinned, fond of fighting and never fearing it—even facing a Mountain Lord, she remained utterly confident.

"Immortal Nuns, don't underestimate him. I estimate this world's Mountain Lord's strength rivals that of a Three Flowers cultivator. Moreover, you two lack sufficient Dao artifacts to fully unleash your power. It's a pity we lack time—if we had, I could have sent the bald Daoist to forge a few Dao artifacts from Chijin, greatly increasing our chances against the Mountain Lord." Li Yi said.

"Taiyi, don't look down on us. If we slay that Mountain Lord for you, how will you repay me?" Xiangxiangzi stepped closer to Li Yi, her alluring eyes scanning him intently.

The more she looked, the more astonished she became.

Li Yi had now reached perfect Five Qi completion, possessed spiritual power in sixty acupoints—twelve times that of an ordinary Five Qi cultivator—and his bloodline power had been fully awakened; dragon-tiger strength now visibly radiated from his body.

Such strength—could even a beginner Three Flowers cultivator stand against him?

In such a short time, he had grown so rapidly.

Li Yi said: "If the two Immortal Nuns truly slay this Chishan Mountain Lord, name your demand—I will fulfill any request within my power."

To secure these two Immortal Nuns, he was willing to pay dearly.

Xiangxiangzi's beautiful eyes twinkled as she smiled sweetly: "My demand isn't excessive. After this is done, I wish to practice dual-cultivation with Taiyi."

"Ah?" Li Yi's eyes widened in shock.

How could a noble Immortal Nun speak such licentious words?

Beside her, Xuan Yuezi's frosty face flushed crimson with embarrassment, and she rebuked sharply: "Xiangxiangzi, what are you saying? Don't speak nonsense—this isn't something to joke about! Even if you're reckless enough to flirt with Taiyi alone, don't drag me into it."

"I'm not joking," Xiangxiangzi retorted without hesitation, then cast a sultry glance at Li Yi: "Taiyi, ignore Xuan Yuezi—she's all talk. She says no, but inside, she's already dancing with joy."

Xiang Xiangzi retorted bluntly, then cast a seductive glance at Li Yi: "Taiyi, don't listen to Xuan Yuezi—she's all talk and no truth. She says she disagrees, but inside she's already overjoyed."

"Shut up, quick," Xuan Yuezi, utterly flustered, rushed over and clapped her hand over Xiangxiangzi's mouth.

Li Yi, forcing himself to speak, said: "The two Immortal Nuns are indeed at an age of fierce desire—such needs are natural. But my cultivation is insufficient; I fear I cannot handle both of you at once. Could we choose another condition?"

"For example, granting you some Chijin for future Dao artifact forging?"

"Taiyi," Xuan Yuezi couldn't help but glare again.

What did he mean by "fierce desire"?

As cultivators, they sought purity, detachment, immortality, and the Dao. Sexual desire—yes, it existed, but not to such an extreme degree.

The reputation of the Seven Immortal Nuns lineage had been ruined by Xiangxiangzi.

"Chijin? What's Chijin? Can I see it?" Xiangxiangzi's eyes suddenly lit up; she pushed Xuan Yuezi's hand away and asked eagerly.

She was no ascetic—she loved combat, Dao arts, and treasures alike.

"This is Chijin," Li Yi took out two pieces from his Five Elements Bracelet and handed them to the two nuns.

Xiangxiangzi and Xuan Yuezi's gazes instantly fixed on the Chijin; their playful banter ceased as each took a piece and examined it intently.

"An extraordinary metal, imbued with ancient power, unbreakable—a rare forging material. Forged into a Dao artifact, it would surely yield a top-tier legacy artifact."

"What an extraordinary metal—it brims with ancient power and is utterly unbreakable, a rare material for forging. If forged into a Dao artifact with this crimson gold, it would surely yield a top-tier ancestral Dao artifact."

Xuan Yuezi said: "More than that—this Chijin contains sealed life essence. It's not only ideal for forging Dao artifacts, but also for reshaping the physical body, even for alchemy."

She carefully sensed it and discovered the Chijin's myriad wondrous applications.

Nearby, Xiangxiangzi immediately asked: "Taiyi, how much of this do you have? Is it enough for the bald Daoist to forge artifacts?"

Li Yi replied: "I don't have much Chijin on me—enough for two or three Dao artifacts at most. But this Chishan Mountain itself holds vast reserves. If we defeat the Mountain Lord and seize this mine, we can acquire massive quantities of Chijin—enough to forge countless Dao artifacts. Moreover, this Mountain Lord has mined here for years; he must possess considerable Chijin himself."

"Then what are we waiting for? Kill this Mountain Lord and seize the Chijin! Such treasures wasted in the hands of these brainless brutes are a crime. They'll only turn this precious material into hammers and axes—utterly useless. Rather than let jewels gather dust, let them shine under my hands. Hehehe."

"If that's the case, then what are we waiting for? Kill this mountain lord and seize the crimson gold! Such a treasure wasted in the hands of these brainless brutes is pure profligacy—they'll only hammer it into hammers and axes, utterly failing to harness its potential. Better to let this pearl shine under my immortal maiden's hand than rot in obscurity—heeheehee."

She was desperate—she had nothing. Not even a single Dao artifact; she owned only one storage artifact.

A peak Three Flowers cultivator reduced to this—how humiliating.

But if they seized this Chishan Mountain, she'd rise from rags to riches overnight. She'd have the bald Daoist forge her ten or eight top-tier Dao artifacts—and then she could walk the world with impunity, smashing anyone she disliked with a single artifact.

Thinking of this, her eyes narrowed into slits, and a wicked smile spread across her lips.

"The other three Immortal Nuns also need Chijin to reshape their bodies—and in large quantities. Once all five of us reunite, we'll need to forge Dao artifacts anyway. Seizing this mountain now would be the most efficient solution."

Xuan Yuezi fell into thought; Chijin was highly valuable to cultivators, and restoring the Seven Immortal Nuns lineage to its former glory required this resource.

"If the Chishan Mountain Lord is wise enough to abandon this mountain and leave, I'd spare him. But if he insists on fighting us, then it must come down to life or death."

"Xuan Yuezi, you're right. Precious resources have no owner. If others can claim them, why can't we? Today, we're taking this mountain as our own."

Xiangxiangzi had already produced a black cloth from somewhere, covering one eye, her Dao robe transforming into a rugged bandit's outfit—she only lacked a tiger-headed greatsword.

Clearly, in her spare time, she'd studied many strange things from Lan Ji.

"Once we close the interdimensional gate, the incense power will last only briefly. If we fight, we must strike swiftly. To be safe, take this Spear of Shattered Stars."

Li Yi then handed the Spear of Shattered Stars to Xiangxiangzi.

"You give me your weapon—what will you use?" Xiangxiangzi asked.

Li Yi pulled out the Precious Moon Bow, the Black Gold Arrows, and several other magical arrows: "I'll use this bow and arrows."

"That's the artifact from the great demon? The one that once shot through our Seven Immortal Nuns' Xuan Huang Seal?" Xiangxiangzi recognized it instantly and gasped.

Xuan Yuezi nodded slightly: "With such a weapon, we can rest easier."

The Precious Moon Bow and Black Gold Arrows were far superior to the Spear of Shattered Stars.

Xiangxiangzi, seeing this, accepted the Spear without hesitation—indeed, fighting a powerful foe required a Dao artifact. As Li Yi said, time was too short; if they'd had preparation, each would need at least three Dao artifacts to be truly confident.

Seeing this, Xiang Xiangzi had no qualms—she accepted the Star-Shattered Spear. After all, battling powerful foes truly required a Dao artifact; as Li Yi said, time was too short. Had they prepared properly, each of them would have needed at least three Dao artifacts to feel truly secure.

Xiangxiangzi's excitement surged again.

Li Yi had absorbed enough incense power; he shut down the interdimensional device, stored everything in his storage artifact, then gestured for the two nuns to follow him out of the mine.

But halfway there, the two nuns' expressions turned grim.

They sensed three powerful presences.

They must be the three Mountain Lords.

One aura far surpassed the other two—stronger than even their peak Three Flowers cultivation. That must be the Chishan Mountain Lord. Though they had Dao artifacts to enhance their power, the enemy wielded weapons forged from Chijin.

One of the three auras far surpassed the other two—stronger than even their peak Three Flowers realm, surely the Crimson Gold Mountain Lord. Though they possessed Dao artifacts to bolster their strength, their opponent wielded weapons forged from crimson gold.

Their only hope lay in Dao arts.

"Xuan Yuezi and I will handle the Chishan Mountain Lord. How do we deal with the other two?" Xiangxiangzi asked: "Should we summon the bald Daoist and Wu Lao Dao again?"

"The other two Mountain Lords are a Qiongqi and a Divine Blood Warrior. I'll face the Divine Blood Warrior. As for the Qiongqi… someone else will intervene." Li Yi said.

"Taiyi, don't overextend yourself," Xuan Yuezi warned: "Your life matters most."

"I have Dao artifacts protecting me and the Divine Bow in hand—defeating him won't be hard. Don't worry about me," Li Yi said. With incense power bolstering him, if he couldn't defeat a Mountain Lord-class Divine Blood Warrior, he deserved to fail.

"I have a Dao artifact guarding me and the Divine Bow in hand—taking down the enemy won't be hard. My immortal maidens, don't worry about me," Li Yi said. Now blessed with incense power, if he still couldn't defeat a mountain lord–level divine-blood warrior, he'd be utterly unworthy.

After all, cultivators needed trials; without hardship, true Dao was impossible to attain.

"It seems you've arranged everything. Then Xiangxiangzi and I will focus on the Chishan Mountain Lord," Xuan Yuezi said.

Though they fought as a pair, the pressure was immense.

After all, they aimed to slay the strongest enemy.

If they failed, all would be lost.

(End of Chapter)

(End of chapter)