Chapter 245

Clang... Clang... Clang.

A melodious sound of forging rang out.

The reason it was called melodious was because the frequency was very low, and the time spent on each hammer strike was very long.

Li Rui's face showed fatigue.

He retreated behind Elder Tiekuang self-consciously.

The things he could do had already been done; what followed was up to Elder Tiekuang.

This was Elder Tiekuang's tenth attempt.

Immortal Xuan Qi was only one link in weapon-casting; although important, it was not everything, and other things still needed Elder Tiekuang to complete.

For Elder Tiekuang, this great weapon-casting master, this was also no small challenge.

"Yes, yes, that's it."

Elder Tiekuang was plunged into a morbid fanaticism, muttering to himself constantly.

Li Rui's expression was strange.

The current Elder Tiekuang was very much like a mad scientist from his previous life, with only the matter of forging in his eyes.

With every fall of the God-Fire Burning Heaven Hammer, the spirituality of the Red Dragon God Iron increased a little.

This process lasted for three full days and nights.

Elder Tiekuang neither slept nor rested.

Liu Tiezhu's eyelids were drooping from exhaustion, feeling as if a great mountain was pressing down on them, showing signs of closing at any moment.

This wasn't the old man wearing him out.

It was clearly the old man wearing him out.

Look.

Whether it was Elder Tiekuang or Li Rui, both old men were more energetic than the other.

He couldn't hold on; he truly couldn't hold on.

Another wave of sleepiness struck.

Elder Tiekuang suddenly spoke: "It's done!"

Instantly, Liu Tiezhu's bell-sized eyes widened, looking toward the Red Dragon God Iron in Elder Tiekuang's hand.

At this time, the Red Dragon God Iron had already cooled.

It was a pitch-black piece, crooked and twisted, barely able to be seen as the embryo of a blade.

If it were anyone else, they would likely have discarded it as scrap iron.

But Liu Tiezhu discovered its extraordinariness at a glance.

On the pitch-black surface of the blade embryo, something seemed to be swimming; looking closely, it was actually a koi fish.

"Artifact Spirit!"

Liu Tiezhu's breathing became rapid.

Li Rui narrowed his eyes.

"It's a True Dragon!"

He saw at a glance that the artifact spirit of Elder Tiekuang's Immortal Weapon was not the koi fish that appeared on the surface, but a True Dragon.

As the saying goes, the carp leaps over the dragon gate.

A koi fish that leaps over the dragon gate can transform into a dragon.

Elder Tiekuang held the blade embryo and laughed loudly, his true qi released externally, causing the utensils in the blacksmith shop to clatter.

"It's done!"

Only then did Li Rui walk up with a smile: "Congratulations, Senior, congratulations, Senior."

Elder Tiekuang was in a very good mood; he grinned: "Little Li, this time it was still thanks to you; your dragon-form true qi is compatible with the attributes of the Red Dragon God Iron, saving me a lot of trouble."

He looked at the koi fish swimming in a small pool on the blade embryo.

"I am a genius!"

Elder Tiekuang had confirmed that this koi fish was simply a stroke of genius.

In fact, this koi fish was thanks to a time he was chatting with Li Rui, when Li Rui accidentally mentioned the saying of the carp transforming into a dragon.

"With my current attainments, using a dragon directly as an artifact spirit is too grand, and I can't grasp it; but if the aura is too small, it can't support the appearance of an Immortal Weapon. I will start with a koi fish and nurture it daily; one day it will surely transform into a dragon and achieve the status of an Immortal Weapon."

Elder Tiekuang felt he was a genius.

Such a marvelous idea, looking at the predecessors, almost no one had ever done it.

A pioneering act!

Elder Tiekuang loved it more the more he looked at it.

Forging an Immortal Weapon, hammering it into shape is only the most basic step; afterward, it requires a large amount of time to nurture the weapon.

Nurturing the weapon is, to a certain extent, even more important than forging it.

The current embryo can only be considered Fourth-Rank High; it is still some distance from an Immortal Weapon, and only when the koi fish completely transforms into a dragon can it be considered a true Immortal Weapon.

Although the transformation of the koi fish into a dragon is long, the probability is much higher.

"You kid are truly my lucky star!"

Elder Tiekuang's laughter shook the sky.

He was truly happy.

Which weapon-casting master doesn't want to forge an Immortal Weapon?

If not for Li Rui, he would likely have had no hope in this life.

Li Rui laughed: "It is Senior's superb skill; I am just a catalyst."

Elder Tiekuang shook his head with a solemn expression:

"No, if not for you, I would have had no possibility at all, not even one percent."

Only after walking the path does one know the difficulty of forging an Immortal Weapon.

He could be certain that without Li Rui's Immortal Xuan Qi and the suggestion of the koi fish transforming into a dragon, just by condensing an artifact spirit with beast blood, he would never have succeeded.

"I owe you a favor."

Li Rui: "Senior, we are all family, there is no need for this."

Elder Tiekuang glanced at him without speaking, which was considered an acknowledgment.

He felt a joy in his heart.

Isn't that how you hold onto a powerful thigh?

Caw, caw, caw.

The sound of crows rang out on the withered branches.

Outside Qinghe City.

A sturdy old man stood with his hands behind his back under a large, withered locust tree.

Before long.

A middle-aged man in a black robe walked out of the darkness, took off his cloak, and revealed Zhuang Renhe's face.

"Speak."

Yuan Gao looked coldly at Zhuang Renhe.

Zhuang Renhe chuckled: "Fu Huai died near the Anning Guard; it was likely done by Jiang Linxian or Cao Wei."

"Jiang Linxian? Cao Wei?"

Yuan Gao narrowed his eyes slightly.

Zhuang Renhe had been searching for Fu Huai for more than half a year, and until now he hadn't found anyone; it could almost be determined that Fu Huai was already dead.

"Jiang Linxian and Li Rui might be the people the Immortal Venerable is looking for."

The words Fu Huai said the last time they met before he died appeared in Yuan Gao's mind.

After that day.

Fu Huai had completely disappeared.

He had also always suspected that Fu Huai was killed by Jiang Linxian.

As for Li Rui?

Of course, it was also possible, but compared to Jiang Linxian, the possibility was too low.

After all, besides being a Qi-Watcher, Fu Huai was also a Sixth-Rank expert; it was impossible for Li Rui to kill a martial arts expert who was also a Sixth-Rank without a sound.

At the very least, one would need to be a Fifth-Rank to do it.

Zhuang Renhe narrowed his eyes: "Brother Yuan, what does the sect plan to do?"

Yuan Gao showed a thoughtful expression.

If it really was Jiang Linxian who killed Fu Huai, then Jiang Linxian was very likely the person the Immortal Venerable was looking for.

But to capture Jiang Linxian alive and take him to the capital, the difficulty was truly too great.

At the very least, he didn't have that confidence.

Yuan Gao snorted coldly: "I will report this matter to the Xueying Laozu; the Xueying Laozu will have his own decision."

That's the good thing about having a big tree to lean on.

Just because he couldn't beat him didn't mean others couldn't.

The Ghost Gui Ming Jiao was full of experts; did a Jiang Linxian really think he was an immortal?

The Immortal Venerable's decree must be completed, so Jiang Linxian would certainly be sent before the Immortal Venerable.

"Good."

Zhuang Renhe nodded, a smile lifting the corners of his mouth.

The goal was achieved.

He came to find Yuan Gao today, naturally not really to avenge Fu Huai.

He just harbored the intention of driving the wolf to swallow the tiger.

Jiang Linxian was known for being good at fighting, one person and one sword, suppressing the Fifth-Ranks of Yunzhou until they couldn't lift their heads; he knew he was no match for him.

To obtain the Immortal Qi.

Relying on himself alone was impossible; he had to borrow strength.

The Ghost Gui Ming Jiao was an excellent choice.

When the time came, the Ghost Gui Ming Jiao and Jiang Linxian would fight like the snipe and the clam, and he would then fish in troubled waters, laying out his plans in advance and using his geographical advantage to find the Immortal Qi and claim it for himself.

Loyalty?

How can a great man live under others for long!

He, Zhuang, had never thought of being a dog for an evil sect forever.

"Hurry up and fight."

In the office of the Trade Office. Li Rui closed his eyes to rest.

Looking inward at his dantian.

The Qi Sea, like a small puddle, had expanded quite a bit compared to before; as long as he nurtured it daily, he could logically break through to become a Sea-Observing Realm martial artist without any obstacles.

It just needed some time.

Ever since he was reminded by Elder Tiekuang last time that he was breaking through too fast, Li Rui had also intended to slow down his speed.

Of course.

His slowness, compared to other martial artists, was actually already flying fast.

"Nurture Qi internally, temper the body externally."

Even if he had opened the Qi Sea, his external skills could not be neglected.

Those experts famous throughout the world, even if they had a bias, would not be bad at either internal or external skills.

!.

He felt secretly sorry.

Having already opened the Qi Sea, there was naturally no reason to continue occupying the treasure of the God-Weapon Villa.

Otherwise, the God-Fire Burning Heaven Hammer could not only temper true qi but was also a good thing for tempering the body.

While Li Rui was thinking.

Tang Hai's voice sounded outside the door: "Master Li, Lord Dao from the Wu Kingdom requests an audience."

"Dao Mo?"

Li Rui stood up, joy in his eyes.

Ever since he and Dao Mo joined forces to destroy the plan of the Qi clan in the Southern Border, Dao Mo had returned to the Wu Kingdom, and he had been gone for more than half a year.

He walked out the door quickly.

He saw that Dao Mo and Dao Meng had already been led into the office by the men of the Galloping Tiger Cavalry.

"Brother Dao, long time no see."

The voice arrived before the person.

Li Rui clasped his fists and said enthusiastically.

"Brother Li."

Dao Mo clasped his fists and said enthusiastically.

Although the two hadn't met for a long time, their correspondence was not infrequent; the trade caravan of the Heaven and Earth Alliance would go to the Wu Kingdom's port every month, and his subordinates would receive letters written by Li Rui every time, along with various strange little items from the Yu Kingdom.

Li Rui pulled Dao Mo into the main hall.

Only after sitting down did he ask:

"Brother Dao, what is the reason for your return this time?"

Dao Mo laughed: "Why, can't I come to see my old brother if there's nothing wrong?"

That was what he said.

Li Rui naturally wouldn't believe it.

Dao Mo saw Li Rui's expression and understood that being polite to Li Rui was of no use; he coughed dryly: "This is a long story; recently a group of horse bandits has been harassing the caravan, and I led men to encircle and suppress them, but ended up staying in the mountains for seven or eight days without even seeing a shadow."

"Thinking that I was already close to the checkpoint, I just happened to pass by my brother's place to ask for a cup of tea."

Li Rui rolled his eyes.

The checkpoint was still a full five hundred miles away from Qinghe.

Passing by?

Was there such a way to pass by?

Dao Mo coughed dryly, also knowing that his explanation was somewhat far-fetched: "Brother Li, I was just thinking that you have many methods, so I wanted to ask you to help me come up with some ideas."

He didn't engage in any roundabout ways.

Using official business to pressure Li Rui.

After all, if Li Rui really dealt with him according to official business, the matter all happened within the territory of the Wu Kingdom, and there was no need for him to get involved.

This was where the importance of sincerity was reflected.

Li Rui smiled slightly: "Brother Dao, your business is my business; tomorrow we will go and take a look together."

Dao Mo heard Li Rui agree directly and finally let out a long sigh of relief.

The heavy stone in his heart landed.

He relaxed and began to chat with Li Rui.

As they talked.

Li Rui brought the topic to Xia Xiaotang: "Brother Dao, I haven't seen Miss Xia for a long time; has the envoy of the mission already been changed?"

Speaking of Xia Xiaotang.

Dao Mo's expression became strange: "Not so, Brother Li, you don't know, Miss Xia has been grounded by the Great Shaman."

Li Rui raised an eyebrow:

"Grounded?"

Being grounded wasn't strange, but being grounded by the Great Shaman of the Wu Kingdom was something to chew on.

Dao Mo chuckled: "With Brother Li's wisdom, you should have guessed that Miss Xia's identity is actually special; she is a disciple of the Great Shaman."

Then he added: "Brother Li must never tell anyone about this."

Li Rui narrowed his eyes slightly.

A disciple of the Great Shaman!

He hadn't expected Xia Xiaotang's identity to be so formidable.

Although he didn't know how many disciples the Great Shaman had, let's just say this: the Great Shaman was comparable to the State Preceptor of the Yu Kingdom, and the gatekeeper of the State Preceptor was more noble than the true disciples of ordinary great sects.

Xia Xiaotang's identity was evident.

"It seems that the reason the Great Shaman of the Wu Kingdom noticed me should be Xia Xiaotang's doing."

Li Rui thought.

The mission that had once shaken the Wu Kingdom appeared in his mind.

He suddenly understood.

And so he couldn't help but be even more curious: "Why was Miss Xia grounded by the Great Shaman?"

Dao Mo shook his head with a smile: "I don't know the reasons; Miss Xia is naughty by nature, and I don't know why she angered the Great Shaman this time; not long after returning from the mutual market, she was grounded."

Li Rui narrowed his eyes slightly.

Calculating the time, wasn't it just two days after Xia Xiaotang gave him the Soul-Nourishing Great Elixir?

"Could it be..."

Li Rui already had a guess in his heart.

The Soul-Nourishing Great Elixir in Xia Xiaotang's hand was likely given by the Great Shaman.

How could such a divine object as the Soul-Nourishing Great Elixir be given to others casually?

It must have been the punishment meted out after the Great Shaman found out.

Thinking of this, Li Rui felt relieved instead.

Looking at it this way, Xia Xiaotang hadn't told the Great Shaman about the reincarnation of the Beast God.

The Beast God had a high status in the Wu Kingdom.

If the Great Shaman knew he was the so-called reincarnation of the Beast God, whether true or false, he would certainly have him taken to the Wu Kingdom to be studied well.

"This little girl is quite loyal."

Li Rui chuckled.

He was already thinking that when he saw that little girl again, he must properly bewitch—phew, reward her.

My most loyal believer?

He was speechless for a moment.

The next morning.

A group of people, some riding fine horses, others riding spirit beasts, galloped out of the city.

The current residents of Qinghe were already used to this situation and had long since stopped being surprised, just doing what they had to do.

There were eight people in total, and their mounts had excellent stamina.

Only three hours later.

The group appeared before the checkpoint between the Yu and Wu Kingdoms.

Li Rui tightened the reins.

And walked slowly into the fortress with Dao Mo and the others.

When the sentries guarding the city saw that it was the people from the Anning Guard, they all smiled from ear to ear.

Why?

It was because every time Li Rui came to the checkpoint to patrol, he would bring food and supplies for the people here.

As soon as they entered the city.

They saw the general guarding the checkpoint, Wang Fu, welcoming them with a smile.

"Captain Li, Lord Dao."

He had long been familiar with these two.

Li Rui greeted Tan Hu and the others to step forward: "General Wang, the soldiers have worked hard guarding the border; I brought some little things from the city, please trouble yourself to distribute them to everyone."

Wang Fu was instantly beaming:

"Brother Li, tell me, you came, why bring so many things every time."

That was what he said.

But his hands taking the things didn't show the slightest hesitation.

Although the fortress was not short of supplies, the things sent from Annan Town were always the same, and he had long been tired of them.

He just wanted some strange novelties.

After accepting the things.

Wang Fu enthusiastically invited Li Rui and Dao Mo into the room for tea.

While drinking tea, Li Rui briefly explained the reason for this trip out of the checkpoint.

Understanding Li Rui's intention.

Wang Fu raised his eyebrows slightly:

"Lord Li wants to go out of the checkpoint?"

(End of chapter)