Chapter 357: Three Armies Merged, Super Military Town!

Have you heard the news?

The Purple Gold Palace just became the state religion of Dongwu—apparently, their emperor himself went to the Ten Thousand Mountains to be consecrated.

An emperor bowing so low to a sect? Unheard of.

Exactly.

By the roadside.

A few men, clearly merchants, sat at a tea stall talking.

Qinghe has close ties with Wu Country.

News brought by Wu merchants arriving in Qinghe has spread, and it's now a major topic of conversation over tea.

Li Rui walked down the street.

This was already the umpteenth time he'd heard people discussing the Purple Gold Palace.

As those men had just said.

The Purple Gold Palace quietly pulled off a massive move, transforming itself into Dongwu's state religion.

To Yu Country's people, who were used to the emperor being above all, this was incomprehensible.

An emperor now needed a sect's approval.

It was a reversal of heaven's order.

In Yu Country, which sect would dare be so arrogant?

Li Rui thought differently.

Wu Country had long practiced the fusion of politics and religion; the Grand Witch's status was already equal to the emperor's. So while the Purple Gold Palace's rise was unexpected, it was also logical.

After all, that night even the Qi Clan's ancestral elder had intervened—clear signs.

And behind it all stood the shadow of a Fallen Immortal.

The problem is, the Purple Gold Palace sits in the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Less than a hundred li from Yu Country, only three hundred li from Qinghe.

Once Qinghe falls, they can surge forward and sweep across half of Yu's southern territories.

The threat is too great.

The Yu imperial court could never allow this to happen.

As he pondered,

he returned to the Assistant General's residence.

As soon as he entered, Nie Siming walked toward him—seemingly about to leave camp.

Seeing Li Rui, he strode forward several steps.

"Lord Li, Qinghe is about to change."

Change?

Li Rui blinked: "Lord Nie, what's happened?"

"Something major—and a good thing. His Majesty has decreed: reinforce Annan Town. Half the troops from Jiannan Town and Huaidong Town will be merged into Annan Town."

Three armies merged!

Hearing Nie Siming's words,

Li Rui's expression brightened.

Annan Town had always ranked at the bottom of Yu Country's thirty-two military towns, but with half the troops from Jiannan and Huaidong added, it would leap into the top eight.

Calling it a change of heavens wasn't an exaggeration.

Yunzhou had never been so valued in Yu Country before.

The top eight towns either guarded the capital or fought in the meat grinders of Jiangnan or the northwest—none of the other dozens of prefectures had this honor.

It wasn't just Yunzhou—such a large-scale military redeployment was extremely rare across the entire southern frontier.

The last time it happened was when the northern barbarians invaded the northwest.

All of this, of course, stems from the Purple Gold Palace.

The Yu imperial court is positioning troops to deter the Purple Gold Palace from advancing north.

Nie Siming: "Keep this quiet for now."

Saying this,

Nie Siming led his men off in large strides.

Li Rui fell into thought.

Merging three armies into one town was no small matter—the last time this happened was five hundred years ago, when the Xixi Army absorbed five armies to halt the northern barbarians' southward advance. Today's Qinghe bears a striking resemblance.

'I wonder if this is fortune or misfortune.'

This must be what Lin Lang meant by 'a major commotion.'

It's certainly massive.

'This Five Spirit Body Refinement Scripture is profoundly mysterious.'

'It draws in the qi of heaven and earth to form Five Spirits: Metal Body, Wood Body, Water Body, Fire Body, Earth Body—none superior to the others. Only when all five are perfected does one enter the true realm: the Five Spirit Body.'

Li Rui pondered.

'Perhaps I can cultivate a minor Five Spirit Body.'

He possessed Immortal Xuan Qi and exceptional comprehension—others might fail, but he could succeed.

In fact,

Li Rui had already begun planning.

His first choice was the Water Body.

Normally, the Water Body suited those with a Water elemental root. But because he carried the Dragon form, and the Dragon was lord of the four seas, he was naturally attuned to water—perfect for the Water Body.

The Water Body was already showing signs.

As Li Rui slowly raised his right hand,

mist swirled between his fingers.

He murmured softly: "Rise."

Then,

the tea in a nearby cup began to boil, then rose straight up like a water dragon, flying into Li Rui's mouth.

'Fine tea!'

Anyone witnessing this miraculous sight would think him the reincarnation of the River God or a celestial descending.

Correct.

This was the effect of the Water Body technique from the Five Spirit Body Refinement Scripture.

Water control.

At its peak, one could envelop oneself in dark water, greatly enhancing defense and enabling the power to deflect a thousand pounds with just four ounces.

Li Rui had only grasped the barest hint so far.

But since he'd entered the door, with enough time and practice, he could fully cultivate it.

After demonstrating the Water Body technique,

Li Rui felt quite pleased.

'If I use Weak Water Spirit Stones to assist in cultivating the Water Body, the results will be doubled.'

Weak Water Spirit Stones were no ordinary item.

Legend said they formed in great rivers and lakes, crystallizations of heaven and earth's water essence—extremely difficult to mine.

A single stone was priceless.

Always a prized treasure among water-element martial cultivators.

Often sold out instantly upon appearance, with fierce bidding. But—

for Li Rui, this wasn't a major problem.

Tianyuan Trading Association had agreed to co-found a new association with Tian Di Alliance; Liu Tong and Lin Wan were both chairpersons of the new association.

Soon,

business would expand to Yunzhou, then Jiannan and Jiangnan.

Countless riches would flood into Li Rui's pockets.

With Lin Wan's biological daughter as vice-chairperson, Li Rui had no fear of Tianyuan sabotaging him—and Liu Tong's presence ensured the same. In a sense, they were hostages, the children of Li Rui and Lin Lang's business alliance.

Brutal at its core, yet outwardly warm and affectionate.

As long as this relationship endured, Li Rui would gain vast quantities of gold, silver, and spirit medicines.

With this wealth, he could afford enough Weak Water Spirit Stones to cultivate the Water Body.

Otherwise, why would Li Rui go through so much trouble becoming an official and forming a trading association?

!

Disdain external forces, cultivate solely through hard work.

In Li Rui's view, that was inferior. One must leverage circumstances—only then could one advance faster and smoother. That was the true way.

After finishing his practice,

Li Rui stepped out of his room.

It was noon.

With the Purple Gold Palace situation temporarily calmed, he now had endless free time.

Most days, he wouldn't leave the house until after half a day of cultivation.

"Old Yang."

As soon as he stepped out, he saw Yang Yong cooling off in the courtyard.

Yang Yong glanced at him: "You see what you've done—driving Xiao Zhao away. Now you've got no one to talk to, just you and me, two old faces staring at each other."

By the time he learned Wang Zhao had left, Wang Zhao was already beyond Qinghe.

For this reason.

He had complained about Li Rui more than once.

After all, in this house, besides Li Rui, Wang Zhao was the one he got along with best.

Like Li Rui, Yang Yong had never married and had no children.

He had long regarded Wang Zhao as his own son.

Li Rui: "Then go out more. If you don't move around, you won't see any familiar faces anymore."

They were among the longest-lived residents of Qinghe.

True enough.

In another ten years, there won't be any familiar faces left.

Yang Yong, hearing this, felt a pang of melancholy.

"Old Li, tell me—why are we still alive so long?"

Li Rui chuckled: "Long?"

"Not long enough."

Yang Yong rolled his eyes: "What, you aiming for a thousand years?"

"A thousand years still isn't enough."

Li Rui's smile widened.

'To live as long as heaven.'

Of course, he didn't speak the next line aloud—young people's ambitions were always on their tongues, but old men kept theirs silently buried in their hearts.

Li Rui had now glimpsed the path to immortality.

Once he gathered the Six Methods and forged a top-grade spiritual root, he could enter cultivation.

Immortality was within reach!

For the first time, he truly felt there was purpose.

Seeing Li Rui's cheerful expression, Yang Yong couldn't help asking: "What's got you so happy? Did you find money?"

"Happier than finding money."

Yang Yong immediately beamed: "Come on, tell me what's happened!"

"Can't say it. Can't say it."

Seeing Li Rui pretend to be mysterious.

Yang Yong pouted and grumbled: "You old Li, keeping secrets from me now, huh?"

He assumed Li Rui had broken through to a new realm.

Li Rui offered no further explanation.

After all, he couldn't possibly tell Yang Yong he was cultivating immortal arts, could he?

That day.

Li Rui, as usual, cultivated inside his room.

Seated cross-legged on a mat.

Around him, mist seemed to swirl like water vapor, yet his clothes remained dry, not a single damp spot—looking like an ancient immortal who had attained enlightenment by the riverbank.

The key to cultivating the Dark Water Body lies in perceiving the water spirits of heaven and earth.

In ancient times, though difficult, many could achieve it—but in this age, it was far too hard.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth was far too thin.

Only those of the top three grades of martial cultivators could enter the Dao through martial arts and touch the qi of heaven and earth.

Li Rui was merely a primordial cultivator; achieving the exclusive ability of a third-grade earth immortal was immensely difficult.

He had trained for a full month.

Yet still, no progress. Li Rui remained calm, training daily without slackening.

Immortal cultivation had no shortcuts.

Suddenly.

In the void before his eyes, Li Rui saw a thread of sapphire-blue qi.

"It's Dark Water Qi!"

Diligence never betrays the earnest.

After days of cultivation, he had finally seen results.

He immediately activated the Dark Water Body section of the Five-Spirit Body Refinement Scripture, trying to draw the Dark Water Qi into his body.

Once the Dark Water Qi entered, the Dark Water Body would be half-complete.

But no matter how he manipulated the Dark Water Body, the strand of qi drifted far away, showing no sign of approaching.

At that moment.

Li Rui's intuition struck—he surged forward violently.

A giant hand shot out, snatching directly at the Dark Water Qi, his Great Hardening qi swirling around him.

The Dark Water Qi seemed to sense a threat—as if stunned that this mortal dared such audacity.

How dare he seize the heavenly mechanism!

At that instant.

Li Rui heard the voice of He Qianian.

'We martial cultivators—if we can't obtain it, we take it. Even heaven itself!'

(End of Chapter)