Chapter 1015: Guo Nanwu

He phrased this cleverly, subtly drawing out his stance and causing the three of them to laugh. Sima Si Yuanli simply pulled Li Li Ximing over and sighed:

"Fellow Daoist Guo is also afraid. After all, he suffered losses in his early years, and the headache of dealing with this 'Fire-Merging' business has left him terrified of the mere mention of fire today!"

"After all, Guo Guo Shentong has a reputation."

Li Li Ximing answered with a smile, and Sima Si Yuanli remarked with emotion:

"It's not just one surname. Once, there was a Early Zifu cultivator who merged fire, harming many people in his family. Later, he had to sell it to exchange for spiritual objects to break through, and only then did things slowly improve..."

"It's good not to cultivate Fire-Merging! As long as one doesn't cultivate Fire-Merging..."

He reached out and patted his forehead, joking:

"There's something in here too!"

Li Li Ximing laughed heartily, but suddenly remembered that the most powerful 【Heavenly Crow Fire-Merging】 in his own hands was also Fire-Merging. If not for the Valley Wind Fire-Guiding and the Talisman Seed, he himself would be affected, so he awkwardly brushed it aside and didn't mention it.

Kuang Yu was perhaps not very familiar with Sima Si Yuanli, so she only pursed her lips and smiled. Li Li Ximing nodded with deep empathy and laughed:

"Please!"

He, as the host, led the way, guiding the three of them up the mountain. They stopped at the summit, and Sima Si Yuanli introduced:

"Fellow Daoist Guo hails from the East Sea and is a rogue cultivator. His ancestors were originally from a prestigious family, the famous 【Guo Clan of Yongzhou】. When the Liang Dynasty fell, they fled to the outer seas, and thus lost their reputation..."

This True Person Guo Nanwu nodded slightly, took over the conversation, and smiled:

"Fellow Daoist Qinghu, there is no need to elevate me. If one were to compare noble origins, how could I compare to the imperial descendants? It would only make Senior Can Zhaojing laugh."

He sighed softly:

"Back then, my ancestor was severely injured and dared not show his face, so he had to flee to the outer seas, where he passed away hastily. The spiritual energy in the outer seas was thin, and within a hundred years, the family had fallen into extreme poverty, relying only on the island formed by the True Person's remains to cultivate..."

"Before my ancestor died, he entrusted various treasures to a certain True Person, asking him to look after us, so as to avoid our family perishing because of the treasures. This True Person took care of our family for a hundred years, but then suffered a calamity and passed away, and from then on, there was no more news... The family became increasingly destitute, gradually reaching the point where we couldn't even defend the island."

"If not for the old True Person from Quisi Mountain passing through the outer seas a hundred years ago and discovering us by chance... bringing me out of the outer seas, and my own bit of luck, I would not have the path I have today!"

He appeared deeply moved, but Li Li Ximing understood clearly. This introduction first mentioned the Great Liang to clarify his background, and then mentioned 【Quisi Mountain】 to speak of the relationship network behind him, which was the Early Zifu lineage of Kuang Yu in the southeast.

At the same time, it also solved Li Li Ximing's doubts. To be harmed by Early Zifu Fire-Merging, the "many people" mentioned should have been Foundation Establishment cultivators. Forcibly using Fire-Merging to save the clan from dire straits, Fire-Merging damages one's nature and life, so dying miserably in the end was normal.

Li Li Ximing withdrew his hand and sighed:

"It hasn't been easy..."

Kuang Yu nodded slightly and continued:

"The Guo family has been through a lot over these years... and having returned from the outer seas, they are in urgent need of a large amount of spiritual resources and a Early Zifu-level array sufficient to protect the family... which also matches your expectations, Fellow Daoist!"

"It is precisely because of this that when I received news from Can Zhaojing, I immediately thought of Fellow Daoist Guo. I asked him carefully, and unexpectedly, he also knew Fellow Daoist Qinghu. We went to Helin to inspect the array, and stopped by on the way."

Li Li Ximing nodded in realization. Sima Si Yuanli did not delay and took an object out of his sleeve.

It was a scroll painted with colorful patterns, tied with a golden spiritual cord. Placing it in front of Li Li Ximing, he sighed:

"During these days, the array cultivators in my clan have been piecing together the array map, and having obtained clues from several Senior Chang Xiao array cultivators, we have managed to recover five or six parts out of ten."

Sima Si Yuanli's action was undoubtedly very thoughtful, and he gave both sides enough face. Li Li Ximing nodded with a smile, watching as Sima Si Yuanli stroked his beard and continued:

"This is the 【Heavenly Ceremony Resplendent Spiritual Array】, created by Senior Chang Xiao. When he came out of the grotto-heaven, he was covered in treasures and was not stingy in using them. The array disc uses 【White Heroic Distant Gold】 as the base and 【Long-Congratulating Bright Star】 for the patterns, refined with two types of Early Zifu spiritual objects and various spiritual resources. Just this array disc alone can be said to be priceless!"

"Once this spiritual array is established, although it is slightly inferior in defending against others, and its offensive means are few, it is a top-tier choice for assisting cultivation, gathering spiritual energy, nourishing life, and establishing the Dao and transmitting the Dharma. It is a first-class treasure!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he revealed an object from his palm and smiled:

"This is the array disc!"

This object was the size of a palm, with eight sides and eight corners, presenting a uniform cyan-white color. Dense, hair-thin talisman runes were drawn on it. It was bright white like snow, but as Sima Si Yuanli shook his palm, it shone with golden-yellow light.

"Our family's heritage has some foundation, and we successfully retrieved this object safely without much damage. At most, it lost some spiritual energy, but waiting for the new array to be refined and nourishing it for a year or two will suffice!"

"Only... this object was taken out rashly when we broke the array. I am not proficient in array techniques and am only restraining it with magic arts. We still need to find someone who understands array techniques, so that I can go with him to install it."

True Person Guo's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he nodded secretly. Li Li Ximing took it calmly, and as it fell into his hand, he only felt his palm turn ice-cold.

It was indeed a Early Zifu-level treasure. The whole thing was petite and cute, rippling with the magical colorful light belonging to the Early Zifu level. He couldn't take his eyes off it after one glance, and he was even more reluctant to put it down once it was in his hand. Even if he couldn't use it himself, he wished he could collect it and examine it carefully.

True Person Guo at the side couldn't take his eyes off it either. Li Li Ximing looked at him with a smile and asked:

"Fellow Daoist Guo... is cultivating..."

True Person Guo hurriedly raised his head and said politely:

"Senior, there is no need for such formality. I am Guo Guo Nanwu; you may simply call me Guo Nanwu. My Guo family cultivates the 'Mother Pin Shui' and 'Lesser Yang' paths, supplemented by the Fire Virtue path, and I have achieved success through the 'Lesser Yang' path..."

"That is rare!"

Li Li Ximing felt that this was the first time he had met a Early Zifu cultivator of the West Shaoyang path, but his reaction was extremely fast. Beyond surprise, there was more suspicion:

'West Shaoyang is not strange, after all, they are a Great Liang family. Great Liang had the famous West Shaoyang Demon Lord. But combined with his ancestor's experience of fleeing, it is highly likely that his ancestor was a high-ranking official of the Liang Emperor and a West Shaoyang cultivator!'

What did this represent? The Great Liang West Shaoyang lineage originated from the 【Purple Terrace Profound Pavilion Sect】, commonly known as the Guanxie path! Who is in charge of the Guanxie path now? Wei Wei Brother Xuan Yin! Who does he work for? Mount Luoxia!

This was the benefit of understanding the lineage network. Even if the possibility of the other party coming from the 【Purple Terrace Profound Pavilion Sect】 was extremely low, Li Li Ximing immediately tested him, nodded, and said:

"It is not strange. So it is the West Shaoyang Dao... is it the Guanxie lineage?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Sima Si Yuanli, who was just about to speak, sipped his tea and remained silent. Guo Guo Nanwu smiled and said:

"However, I cannot claim to be on par with the Guanxie lineage. In truth, 'Mother Pin Shui' is my family's primary cultivation, while the 'Lesser Yang' path was something our ancestor exchanged for back then... I never expected that while 'Mother Pin Shui' has repeatedly failed me, it is 'Lesser Yang' that has succeeded."

His expression became a bit more emotional, and he replied:

"I know what you want to say, 【Purple Terrace Profound Pavilion Sect】... Back then, those cultivators were high and mighty, but now... their orthodox lineage is completely severed... they are just a group of people doing odd jobs for the 【Guanhua Heavenly Tower Dao】."

Li Li Ximing was slightly surprised, but Sima Si Yuanli coughed, signaling that this should not be mentioned too much. He had to put down his cup and nod silently:

'It is true... For one thing, his family could be hunted down to the point of destitution today, so it naturally cannot be the Purple Terrace Profound Pavilion Sect. For another... even if Wei Wei Brother Xuan Yin wanted to stir up trouble, he wouldn't do it this way... and there is no need to get involved in such suspicious matters. Not to mention finding a descendant of Mingyang, at least the background should be cleaner...'

Guo Guo Nanwu was slightly embarrassed, and immediately continued:

"Guo Nanwu also understands that this object is precious, so I have also brought spiritual objects this time."

"Oh?"

Li Li Ximing raised his head with interest, watching as Guo Guo Nanwu took out a box from his bosom, opened it casually, and revealed a bit of clear, bright color inside.

He said softly:

"Senior, please look!"

Li Li Ximing's spiritual sense stirred, and he saw a vast golden energy in the box, surging up and down, suppressed by the magical power on the surface. The color at the very bottom gathered clearly and brightly, obviously a Metal Virtue spiritual object.

This made Li Li Ximing narrow his eyes and ask:

"'Dui Metal'?"

"Exactly!"

Guo Guo Nanwu's expression was solemn, and he replied:

"This object has no name. It is a type of Metal Sha, but it is a 'Dui Metal' spiritual object. I asked the old True Person to look at it, and he said it is more noble than ordinary Early Zifu spiritual objects!"

"Noble?"

His choice of words made Li Li Ximing feel slightly strange. He pondered without speaking, but Sima Si Yuanli frowned, half-believing, and replied:

"It looks like 【Long-Surpassing Change-Executing Gold】... but it has a bit more of a bright meaning..."

"Fellow Daoist Qinghu has good discernment!"

Guo Guo Nanwu shook his head and sighed, replying:

"Back then, when my family was cultivating in the outer seas, the Grand Void shook. A golden star fell from the sky, the long neon swept the moon, approaching the horizon, causing the scenery to become chaotic, a piece of misty water. Although my ancestor was severely injured, he had to show himself."

"He only saw a few points of golden light fall into the sea. He was close to the water and got the moon first, secretly retrieving them. After studying them repeatedly, he also felt it was 【Long-Surpassing Change-Executing Gold】."

"Later, when the old True Person Di Yan helped my family, I wanted to break through to Early Zifu and used this spiritual object to thank him, using 【Miao Wei Fire-Merging】 to take the 【Three Sects Glory Yang Stone】. The old True Person accepted the Fire-Merging, but the 【Long-Surpassing Change-Executing Gold】 was sent back by the old True Person."

Guo Guo Nanwu's gaze was complex, and he replied:

"The old True Person said it was 【Gifted by Shen Bai, Gold of Old Years】, so he refused to take it, and instructed us not to come into contact with other Dui Metals, as contact would cause changes... so it has been preserved until today."

"Guo Nanwu achieved magical powers and went to the mountain gate to visit the old True Person and asked about this matter. The old True Person kept his mouth shut, and when asked about its wonders, he said it had a bit more solar power... In fact, I was a bit curious, but now that the clan has searched everywhere, only this object can be taken out!"

Li Li Ximing tasted it carefully, his magical powers echoed, and he replied:

"It really has the power of the first manifestation."

This made Li Li Ximing have some thoughts. His own Diqi Light was condensed in the Giant Que Court, and it needed to take the Sun, Thunder, and Light Sha as the main position. This object contained the Sun and was also a Metal Sha. If he got it and couldn't sell it for a while, he could also use it to cultivate magic arts, which should be of great use.

He didn't think about taking it for himself, but wanted to add icing on the cake for Li Li Zhouwei's magic arts. Otherwise, he really wouldn't want to exchange for a 'Dui Metal' object!

Guo Guo Nanwu nodded repeatedly, and Li Li Ximing raised his eyebrows and said:

"This object is indeed precious, but the 【Heavenly Ceremony Resplendent】 array disc uses 【White Heroic Distant Gold】 as the base and 【Long-Congratulating Bright Star】 for the drawings, both of which are excellent Early Zifu spiritual objects. Just this one Dui Metal alone, I'm afraid it's hard to offset."

Guo Guo Nanwu pondered repeatedly, opening his mouth to speak of magic arts, but the clan's affairs had not been discussed with the island, so it was really not easy to take them out. Kuang Yu raised her eyebrows and smiled:

"It's not just that. If you want to build an array, this massive amount of spiritual resources must be unavoidable from within the sea, and the 'Upper Ceremony' path is already exceptionally rare. Fellow Daoist Minghuang conquered Senior Chang Xiao, so these things are also indispensable!"

Guo Guo Nanwu obviously trusted her quite a bit, nodded while pondering, and Kuang Yu said softly:

"How about this... I've calculated the days. The Guo family has few people, and this array, even if built with full effort, will take ten or twenty years, which can be said to be remote..."

She turned to look at Li Li Ximing and said harmoniously:

"How about letting him take the 【Eight Directions Court Nourishing Spiritual Array】 first, so that the Guo family's island in the South Sea can be established first. And Fellow Daoist Can Zhaojing also lacks someone in the outer seas to help and tidy up. For twenty or thirty years, the Li clan will provide some basic spiritual resources, and Guo Nanwu will run errands for Wangyue in the South Sea..."

"One or two, doing what one can, occasionally taking action on matters unrelated to the north and south, it can be considered mutual help..."

Kuang Yu smiled and replied:

"I'm not worried about anything else. When the great array is established, if there has indeed been no trouble for Guo Nanwu in these thirty years, we will see the situation and add one or two more spiritual resources for you, Fellow Daoist."

She said solemnly:

"With me and Quisi Mountain acting as intermediaries, it can be considered a guarantee! If it really doesn't work... we can only take some magic arts to offset it for you, Fellow Daoist..."

This was truly beyond Li Li Ximing's expectations, making him turn his head in surprise and ponder in his heart:

'It is true...'

Now that Senior Qingyan's matter has not been dealt with, Li Li Ximing still has connections with several demon kings of Poluoduo, and in fact, there are elixirs and spiritual resources that can be exchanged, but these things are not convenient for some small cultivators to bring back and forth, and he cannot leave... he can only sit on the mountain in vain.

Even the transactions with Nanshun Luoshe, or meeting that person in Yinzhou, should have been things he did himself, but there are many threats ahead, and Wangyue Lake needs protection... he cannot go out in time. It was not easy to have Liu Liu Zhangdie, but he had to guard Qunyi! These things have been backlogged for a long time, so much so that Li Li Zhouwei went out for a trip and actually had to do these errands.

'If there is such a person, as long as he maintains a friendly relationship with my family on the surface, visits here occasionally, or sends a letter, too precious or confidential things can be forgotten. These elixirs, spiritual resources, and ordinary things can be handled by him... it would be useful...'

And Li Li Ximing didn't covet those one or two spiritual resources at all, and understood that Kuang Yu truly hoped that the cultivators of Yue State could get closer to her lineage, but what truly made his heart beat was another matter!

Up to now, Li Li Jiangqian and Li Li Quewan already have Early Zifu hopes, and when the time comes, there will be another urgent matter—Green Talisman!

'When the time comes, we can find a demon without a background in the outer seas, and gather everyone's strength... perhaps it is possible... Even if it is hard to find a demon without a background, having a Early Zifu-level combat power is always good!'

'The only pity is... the South Sea doesn't have much benefit for my family... and it's not good to drag people into the north-south struggle.'

He pondered repeatedly, not wanting the other party's magic arts at all, and smiled:

"There can be a human relationship. Since thirty years have been agreed upon, we will be good friends from now on. There is no need to be so rigid, and I am even more embarrassed to let you give any spiritual resources, Fellow Daoist!"

"This..."

Guo Guo Nanwu was slightly stunned, slightly uneasy, and hurriedly returned the salute, saying:

"Senior Can Zhaojing..."

Li Li Ximing shook his head, stood up with a smile, and replied:

"No need to be so polite!"

He picked up the array disc and handed it to Guo Guo Nanwu, smiling: "Since it's settled, don't let Fellow Daoist Qinghu wait any longer. Please hurry!"

This array disc was ice-cold to the touch, but Guo Guo Nanwu seemed to be holding some hot treasure. He let out a long sigh of relief and sighed:

"I will remember this kindness, Junior!"

He raised his eyebrows to look at Kuang Yu again, slightly stunned, but saw Kuang Yu standing by Li Li Ximing's side. This woman smiled and said:

"Congratulations! Fellow Daoist Can Zhaojing and I still have some trivial matters to discuss, so I won't accompany you back. Fairy Ning is in Xinyu, you can go straight to find her!" ===== CHAPTER 1016 =====