Chapter 840: The Chijin Daoqi Vault

When the cross-dimensional gate behind them closed, Li Yi once again returned to the Wildlands with the immortal ladies, and strangely, Master Yulian did not follow—they chose to remain in the Incense World.

It seemed that in that world, Master Yulian had found the path to enlightenment.

Clearly, she had been drawn to the incense worship.

But it was for the better—it spared Li Yi a nuisance, at least eliminating the sound of chanting from his ears.

"Let's go to Chishan." Li Yi oriented himself, then ascended on a cloud.

The immortal ladies stood atop the auspicious clouds, scanning all directions, vigilant for danger, for the Wildlands remained perilous—even they had to tread carefully.

They sped onward; though a mountain lord-level beast was startled along the way, it was driven off by Li Yi's aura and did not attack.

Occasionally, they saw herds of beasts soaring through the sky, their leader radiating fierce, extraordinary energy—but compared to Li Yi, they were still far inferior, so they wisely led their kind away swiftly.

Thus, the journey remained relatively calm.

Not long after, they arrived at Chishan.

Before they even drew near, the cultivators in every cave on Chishan awoke, rushing out of their dwellings and ascending into the clouds to gaze toward Li Yi.

"It's not an attack—it's Taiyi returning. No need to be alarmed."

"Not just Taiyi—there are also a few immortal ladies from the Heavenly Dao Sect. It's been a while, and their realms seem to have improved."

"Goddess Yunfeizi has returned too. She must have gained some extraordinary fortune—now even her Three Flowers are fully bloomed, and one of them appears nearly perfected."

The cultivators murmured among themselves, yet also felt joy and anticipation at Li Yi's return.

But Li Yi, upon returning to Chishan, did not summon the others—he went straight to the governor's mansion and said: "Goddess, please fetch Master Tiangong. I want to see how many Chijin Daoqi he's forged recently."

Goddess Yunfeizi nodded and flew toward Master Tiangong's cave.

Master Tiangong's cave lay at the center of Chishan, surrounded by other high-level cultivators guarding his safety; within that mountain range, a golden radiance illuminated the heavens, and even before approaching, the scorching heat struck their faces.

The mountains for dozens of li around had been reduced to charred earth, barren and lifeless.

All this was due to the Divine Wood Chijin Furnace—its furnace fire spilled out during Daoqi forging, inevitably burning the land, an unavoidable phenomenon.

Since Li Yi last left the Wildlands, no one knew how many Chijin Daoqi Master Tiangong had forged, nor what extraordinary treasures he had crafted.

"Master Tiangong, Yunfeizi seeks an audience." Yunfeizi channeled her magic power, projecting her voice across the entire mountain.

"The Heavenly Dao Sect's goddess? You left the Wildlands—why are you back today?"

In the next instant, the cave door swung open, and a disheveled, soot-covered Daoist emerged, bewildered—he had been in seclusion forging artifacts and was unaware of external changes, for in his view, time was money.

During his time wielding the Divine Wood Chijin Furnace, his forging skills had surged forward, and he had become utterly absorbed.

"Time flows unseen in the mountains, Master Tiangong. You've been in seclusion for a long while. Not only have I returned, but Taiyi has too—and Taiyi now wishes to see you. Please come to the governor's mansion." Goddess Yunfeizi spoke calmly.

"Hah! Taiyi must be here to inspect my work. Old Dao will surely astonish you all this time." Master Tiangong quickly understood, laughed heartily, then waved his hand—a small furnace wreathed in golden flames flew into his grasp.

He then performed a spell to cleanse his body and change his robes, stepped onto mystic light, and exited the cave.

Goddess Yunfeizi said nothing further—Chijin Daoqi were too precious. Now that Taiyi's authority grew daily, even she, once a goddess, must be courteous and mindful of boundaries.

Soon, the two arrived at the governor's mansion.

Li Yi sat upon the main seat, the immortal ladies seated in order, while beside him, two beautiful maidens served him: meat from mountain lord-level beasts, rare mountain fruits, and fine wine.

These two maidens were Eji and Suji, whom Li Yi had left behind on Chishan.

Upon hearing of Li Yi's return, they were the most elated and joyful—only when Li Yi was present could they demonstrate their worth and receive recognition.

"Old Dao pays homage to Taiyi." Master Tiangong arrived and bowed respectfully.

Li Yi was no longer the same—he sat there radiating Dragon-Tiger energy, five energies entwined, his aura extraordinary, his cultivation base at least at the peak of the Three Flowers Realm; in the old Daoist world, he would have been addressed as "Senior."

"Senior, no need for such formalities. I've returned to Chishan for an important matter, so I wish to consult you: after all these months, how are the Chijin Daoqi coming along?" Li Yi said.

Master Tiangong had prepared—he pulled out a pouch woven from Chijin and said: "All the Chijin Daoqi I've forged in recent days are within this Chijin Qiankun Bag. Please, Taiyi, inspect them."

As he spoke, he extended the pouch.

Li Yi instantly reached out through the air—the pouch flew into his hand.

Though merely a small pouch, it was unquestionably a storage Daoqi, containing a space capable of holding countless items. "They've become so extravagant as to forge Qiankun Bags from Chijin," Xiangxiangzi and Xuan Yuezi murmured with faint smiles.

In the Daoist world, Qiankun Bags were common storage artifacts—easy to forge, nearly every cultivator owned one; those of status or power preferred spatial Daoqi to signify distinction.

Li Yi now examined the Qiankun Bag.

One glance revealed a space bathed in Chijin radiance, filled with countless Chijin Daoqi—Chijin Divine Swords numbered in the thousands, at least three thousand; Chijin Divine Armor was also abundant, exactly one thousand sets.

There were also Chijin Divine Spears, Chijin Divine Sabers, Chijin Divine Needles, and other weapons, totaling several hundred.

Special Daoqi were plentiful too: Chijin Gourds, Chijin Jade, Chijin Divine Ropes.

Even storage Daoqi had been forged—hundreds of Chijin Qiankun Bags.

It was essentially an arsenal.

Li Yi was stunned—he had not expected Master Tiangong to deliver such a surprise. All the effort he'd expended to seize Chishan and forge the Divine Wood Chijin Furnace was worth it.

"Very… very good. Senior, you truly deserve the title of Master Artificer—in just a few months, you've forged so many Chijin Daoqi."

After a brief moment of shock, Li Yi regained composure and praised Master Tiangong.

"Merely my duty," Master Tiangong smiled. "Had Taiyi not seized Chishan and obtained the Divine Wood to forge the Divine Wood Chijin Furnace, even with all my skill, I could never have achieved this."

He felt he had spent his entire life in the Daoist world, yet found greater joy in these few months with Taiyi.

As an artificer, he needed not worry over materials, waste, social obligations, or sect politics—only to focus on forging. What a blissful thing.

Through repeated forging, even a novice could grow into a master.

Why had the Daoqi Sect once had only a few master artificers? Because forging opportunities were scarce—there was little chance to practice, for no one would dare entrust precious forging materials to a novice.

Li Yi said: "Senior, your contribution in forging these Daoqi is immense. I must properly reward you. What do you desire? Name it—anything within my power, I will not delay."

He could not be stingy—he must reward Master Tiangong now.

Master Tiangong replied: "Lately, I've gained new insights into forging and need to borrow the Divine Wood Chijin Furnace for a while longer. I hope Taiyi will permit it. Also, aside from those Daoqi, I've specially forged one artifact for you, Taiyi."

"It was crafted from leftover scraps of the Divine Wood, remaining golden leaves, Chijin, and rare treasures from the mountains."

As he spoke, he produced a precious box and offered it respectfully.

"This old fellow has clever intentions—a master artificer who's learned to flatter," Xiangxiangzi glanced and muttered inwardly.

"Forging isn't just hammering—it involves human relations too," Li Yi observed, smiling inwardly, then reached through the air with anticipation to claim the artifact.

The moment he opened it, Chijin divine light blazed forth, and a terrifying energy surge spread outward.

"This is a Dao Artifact," Li Yi felt a chill—he sensed its power.

A regular Chijin Daoqi approached the rank of an Immortal Artifact from the Xuan Immortal Continent—but what lay in this box had surpassed that, reaching Immortal Artifact level, and not an ordinary one.

He channeled his Dragon-Tiger power to suppress the aura, calming the artifact within the box, and the strange phenomena faded.

It was a pair of gauntlets.

Cast in Chijin, mysteriously magnificent, adorned with a sun totem as if blazing with solar fire.

"Due to insufficient materials, I could only improvise to forge this. I hope Taiyi will not disdain it," Master Tiangong added, slightly embarrassed.

"Excellent. Senior's craftsmanship is truly miraculous," Li Yi rejoiced—he did not favor any weapon; swords, spears, fists, all suited him.

And these gauntlets matched him perfectly, synergizing with his divine techniques.

Clearly, Master Tiangong had studied his combat style and forged them specifically for him.

With this enhancement, he could shatter an Immortal with a single punch.

"If Taiyi likes it, then good," Master Tiangong smiled.

Li Yi closed the box and declared: "Since Senior enjoys forging, henceforth the Divine Wood Chijin Furnace shall remain under your control—I shall never reclaim it unless absolutely necessary."

"Thank you, Taiyi!" Master Tiangong bowed, deeply moved.

"This scheming old man," Xiangxiangzi propped her chin, watching Master Tiangong with a smirk.

With control of the Chijin Divine Wood Furnace, he could forge any Daoqi he wanted—soon, this old fellow would be drowning in wealth.

(End of Chapter)