Chapter 288: The Last Li Zimei

At the end of the tributary here, besides the Shaosi Sect ruins, there were also ships from the Tianjian Treasure Sect.

It was also twenty ships.

One could see some Tianjian Treasure Sect cultivators practicing on the shore. These were all Security Division members who had been stationed here for a period of time, waiting for the Seven Blood Children to come and take over.

The Captain came forward, and the two sides quickly completed the handover. The Tianjian Treasure Sect Security Division ships saluted the Seven Blood Children Security Division, handed over a flag, and then sailed downstream in a mighty manner.

They would return to the Alliance at a very fast speed, and on the day they reached the Alliance, the Security Division ships of another sect would sail upstream to come here and take over from the Seven Blood Children disciples.

During the intervening period, the Seven Blood Children's Security Division would be stationed here, and at the same time, they would erect that Alliance flag on the shore.

This was the entire mission of Xu Qing and the Captain's trip.

This mission seemed long, but in reality, it was extremely helpful for cultivation. Whether it was the river journey on the way here or the destination now, both belonged to excellent places for cultivation.

However, there were not many people who could persist in practicing at the main river intersection at the end. For most disciples, due to the different physical adaptability to the environment, this place permeated with overly dense Immortal Spirit Qi would make their bodies unable to bear it for a time.

One could imagine that the Shaosi Sect disciples must have been able to practice here under the protection of their sect's formation, which allowed those low-rank disciples to practice here.

Even Xu Qing felt a bit dizzy, but after all, his cultivation was not bad, so he got off the ship and arrived at the shore of the main river. Standing there, he took a deep breath.

The Immortal Spirit aura rushed toward his face, entering his body through his mouth, nose, and all the pores of his body, making Xu Qing's whole body feel extremely transparent at this moment. After barely adapting, Xu Qing sat cross-legged and began to practice.

The Captain was the same. As for the other Seven Blood Children disciples on the ships, they also got off the ships one after another. After setting up camp and checking the surroundings, they began to sit in meditation, scattered according to their respective degrees of adaptability.

Time passed. One month later, the one hundred and nine magic apertures in Xu Qing's body opened with a rumble.

The opening of this magic aperture did not rely on soul power, but entirely by borrowing the Immortal Spirit aura here, using the Health-Nurturing Secret Technique to grind it open.

This was a very difficult thing to complete in Nanhuangzhou, but here, the difficulty was reduced a lot.

Xu Qing's heart was excited.

"Still missing eleven magic apertures, and I can open the fourth life fire!" Xu Qing's eyes revealed anticipation. He knew very well that after four life fires, he could truly possess the combat power to suppress all directions in the Foundation Establishment realm.

Without relying on other means, he would possess solid six-fire combat power. If the Emperor-level cultivation technique combat power was added, it could reach seven fires. And with the mutual support of the two life lamps, this made his combat power, although not reaching eight fires, already the extreme within the seven-fire category.

At the same time, during this month, they had another mission, which was to search for the remnants of the Shaosi Sect.

But searching was not the goal; it was to inform all parties in Yinghuang Prefecture that this place... the Eight Sect Alliance did not allow any more dams to appear.

Once one appeared, it would be a deadly feud!

This attitude also needed to be expressed by the Security Division.

Xu Qing did not know if there was a secret deal between the Alliance and the Taisi Immortal Gate, because the Taisi Immortal Gate had remained silent about this from beginning to end.

The Shaosi Sect clearly realized that rebuilding the sect was impossible, so most of them moved away. The information and clues searched back by the Seven Blood Children all indicated that the Shaosi Sect had completely left.

This was the same as the information obtained by the other sects that had patrolled the river to this point.

So Xu Qing continued to practice. During this period, if his body could not bear it, he would move some distance away from the shore, and after his body's adaptability was better, he would sit cross-legged on the shore again.

As for the Captain, he had disappeared half a month ago. Before leaving, he told Xu Qing that he was going to wander around. Xu Qing saw his mysterious appearance and didn't ask too much.

Just as the Captain respected his secrets, Xu Qing also respected the Captain's secrets.

Just like that, days passed. For other disciples, perhaps long-term cross-legged practice was a very boring thing, so there were not many people who really persisted in breathing here every day.

Most of them went out occasionally, wandering around, and some even went to play in nearby small countries.

Xu Qing did not demand others to do this; he only required himself to cherish every opportunity for practice. There were others like him, and the Little Mute was one of them.

In this practice, three months passed. Xu Qing's one hundred and tenth magic aperture, under his day and night grinding, was finally opened. With the opening of the magic aperture, Xu Qing clearly felt that the magic power in his body had become more majestic by a point.

Xu Qing took a deep breath and looked back behind him.

Those who could persist until now and continue to practice like him were only less than thirty people.

Xu Qing's gaze swept over them, and just as he was about to close his eyes again, his expression moved slightly, and he looked up at the main river in the distance.

It was dusk, and the sunset glow was beautiful. Under the reflection of the glow, Xu Qing saw a fleet of ships appearing on the main river.

There were more than a dozen large ships in total.

The appearance of the ships was different from the Seven Blood Children's here. They seemed to be made of crystal and formed by spirit stones, looking crystal clear, and the overall light was dazzling. At this moment, they were sailing downstream from the direction of the Taisi Immortal Gate, and one could see many figures of cultivators wearing white long robes on the ships.

Most of them were women, each wearing a veil, emitting extraordinary fluctuations from their bodies.

"Taisi Immortal Gate." Xu Qing recognized the other party's origin. When he looked intently, this fleet of ships was getting closer and closer to them, and even the disciples of both sides could see each other's appearance across the river water.

In this gaze, Xu Qing saw that the three female disciples who had come to the Seven Blood Children that day were also among them.

Although the attire of the Taisi Immortal Gate disciples was the same and they wore veils, everyone's aura was different.

Xu Qing observed with goodwill. He had seen those three disciples who came to the Seven Blood Children that day, so he could recognize them at this moment.

In addition, he also saw a familiar figure.

A white long dress, a veil on her face. The other party's temperament was completely different from what Xu Qing remembered. If it weren't for the persistent gaze still full of strong self-esteem, it would be difficult for Xu Qing to recognize her at a glance.

It was... Li Zimei!

Zhang San had once said that Li Zimei was taken away by the Taisi Immortal Gate. Before leaving, she gave Xu Qing a letter. That letter didn't say much, it was all expressions of gratitude to him.

And although Xu Qing recognized Li Zimei at this moment, under the cover of the Seventh Master's jade slip, the Xu Qing in Li Zimei's eyes was a stranger.

So the two sides just swept their gazes and withdrew them. Soon, the Taisi Immortal Gate's ships left the place where Xu Qing and the others were and sailed toward the direction of Taisi Du'e Mountain.

Xu Qing gazed, and after a long while, he withdrew his gaze.

"Back then, we went up the mountain at the same time. Zhou Qingpeng died, Xu Xiaohui lost the heart to practice, and Li Zimei joined the Taisi Immortal Gate." Xu Qing felt some emotion in his heart. Four years of time had become pictures in his memory.

Xu Qing closed his eyes and continued to practice. Not long after, one of the ships in the Taisi Immortal Gate's departing fleet separated and approached the shore rapidly. Xu Qing opened his eyes, vigilant in his heart, and looked over.

On the arriving ship was one of the three Taisi Immortal Gate female disciples who had gone to the Seven Blood Children that day, and Li Zimei was following beside her. They did not go ashore. After approaching, the Taisi Immortal Gate female disciple swept her gaze over Xu Qing and the others and spoke indifferently.

"Seven Blood Children?"

Xu Qing nodded.

The Taisi Immortal Gate female disciple waved her hand and threw out two jade slips, one purple and one blue, which turned into two rays of light and headed straight for Xu Qing.

Xu Qing's expression was calm. He stood up, raised his right hand, grabbed, and caught these two jade slips. At the same time, he put on a look of physical vibration and facial change, retreating more than ten steps.

He would not reveal his own flaws in these details.

"Give the blue jade slip to the third disciple of your Seven Blood Children Sect Master."

"Give the purple one to Xu Qing of your Seven Blood Children." After the Taisi Immortal Gate woman finished speaking, she took Li Zimei and steered the ship away. Li Zimei didn't say a word from beginning to end. Only when she left at the end, she turned her head and looked at Xu Qing suspiciously, but soon withdrew it.

Xu Qing was thoughtful. After watching the other party leave, he lowered his head and looked at the two jade slips in his hand. He put away the one for the Third Senior Brother and his gaze fell on the purple jade slip.

"For me?" Xu Qing pondered, his perception spreading out and merging into the jade slip. In the next instant, the content of the jade slip appeared in his mind.

"Senior Brother Xu Qing, I am Li Zimei. Do you still remember the last sentence you said to me?"

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. This jade slip was not an ordinary object. There was a lock inside that required answering a specified question to see more content. If opened by force, it would shatter on its own.

"Keep it up, I hope to see the day you exchange for a magic boat." Xu Qing branded this sentence onto the jade slip.

In the next instant, the content of the jade slip changed suddenly.

"Senior Brother Xu Qing, everything is fine with me at the Taisi Immortal Gate. I sent you this letter this time because the method I am learning at the Taisi Immortal Gate is different from everything I have been exposed to at the Seven Blood Children and in the past."

"The Taisi Immortal Gate believes that cultivation base is cultivation base, and realm is realm. They don't attach much importance to cultivation base and pay more attention to realm."

"This realm is not something like Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, or Golden Core, but... Artistic Conception!"

"The Taisi Immortal Gate believes that Artistic Conception is the Great Dao, but Artistic Conception requires comprehension, and the difficulty is extremely great..."

"Senior Brother Xu Qing, these are what I know, but I only know the fur now. I hope it can be of some help to you. You can conduct some comprehension in your daily life. I think that although the Taisi Immortal Gate may not necessarily be correct, it should have some merits."

"Also... I will not let you down, Senior Brother Xu Qing. I am about to participate in a comprehension ceremony at the Taisi Immortal Gate. They told me that this ceremony is very difficult. If I fail, I will die. If I succeed, my personality might change a little."

"This is nothing. I didn't like my personality anyway. Sometimes I am too cowardly, and sometimes I am too concerned with dignity. It's good to change a little."

"I don't know if I can succeed, and I don't know what I will become. When you receive this letter, I might already be dead, or I might have succeeded."

"But no matter what, this is my choice. I will go on, work harder, I definitely can. I just hope that my personality won't change too much."

"My words are abrupt, because this might be the last letter before my personality changes, and I have no relatives. Over the years, the only ones who have helped me are you and Senior Brother Zhang San. I know Senior Brother Zhang San also took care of me because of you. If there is any disturbance, Senior Brother Xu Qing, please don't mind."

"Senior Brother Xu Qing, finally, I sincerely wish you well. I hope you are better, always better, and always well."

"Li Zimei." ===== CHAPTER 289 =====