Chapter 796

"I know Zhaojing is worried about the peacock matter. There are few places in the world where the 【Lesser Kong Que Karma】 can be obtained, and flaunting it in public is ultimately not good. It is not just the 【Great Bestowal Bronze Color Temple】 that is determined to obtain this fire; at least five of the seven Northern Buddhist paths have Buddhist cultivators who can attain the Dao through this karmic fire. Holding it in one's hands brings endless trouble..."

"I will give Zhaojing three choices."

He shifted his cup slightly, stretched out his hand, and said:

"【Lesser Kong Que Karma】, although it is a karmic fire born from Buddhist soil, fundamentally cannot escape being a 【Fire of Desire】. Furthermore, it is not like the 【Greater Kong Que Karma】, which was refined personally by a great master of supernatural powers. I have a deep understanding of the peacock lineage and can transform it for you into a type of combined fire called 【Exhaustive Return Flame】. It also has a connection to Bright Yang and is a rare, gentle fire among combined fires. It can be used to refine elixirs, but it cannot be used to refine magic treasures, nor can it be used to combine with water or move Geng metal."

"Although the transformation steps are cumbersome, time-consuming, and expensive, and the value of 【Exhaustive Return Flame】 is far inferior to 【Lesser Kong Que Karma】, there is a portion in the mountains, so you can go and take it first..."

"This is the first."

Li Ximing felt a slight stir of interest and nodded respectfully, though a doubt immediately arose in his heart: 'I fear even the Jiuqiu lineage can only turn 【Lesser Kong Que Karma】 into 【Exhaustive Return Flame】 and cannot reverse the transformation... In True Person Senior Yuan Dao's words, he does not seem to want to lose the 【Lesser Kong Que Karma】...'

As he pondered, True Person Senior Yuan Dao continued: "Second, hand over the 【Lesser Kong Que Karma】 to my Jiuqiu lineage, and I will take out a type of spirit fire to exchange with you. This fire is a True Fire called 【Three-Watch Garrison Profound Fire】."

"In the near-ancient times, as the Sun and Bright Yang grew heavier and the Taiyin and Jueyin grew lighter, True Fire became fiercer and Prefecture Water became softer. True Fire often leaned toward the side of refining magic treasures. 【Three-Watch Garrison Profound Fire】 is an exception. The True Fire remnants corresponding to it still have responses to this day, retaining the characteristics of the ancient era, and it is extremely adept at refining elixirs."

"It is just that its combat ability is not as good as 【Exhaustive Return Flame】. No matter how gentle 【Exhaustive Return Flame】 is, it is still a combined fire, and 【Three-Watch Garrison Profound Fire】 does not possess the fierceness of today's True Fire, making it a step weaker."

He sipped his tea and finally said:

"Third, I can also use other spirit objects to compensate you."

"Water and fire are prosperous, unlike other paths. I will not bully you. Aside from the 【Three-Watch Garrison Profound Fire】, there is also a type of Limpid Water on Jiuqiu Mountain."

After True Person Senior Yuan Dao finished speaking, Li Ximing suddenly felt conflicted:

'Without Li Fire, I don't know if 【Three-Watch Garrison Profound Fire】 can be turned into Li Fire... 【Exhaustive Return Flame】 can refine elixirs and fight, and it fits with Bright Yang. It is not a bad choice.'

The spirit fires offered by True Person Senior Yuan Dao were truly too tempting. 【Three-Watch Garrison Profound Fire】 sounded like something only these ancient lineages would bring out. Transforming it into Li Fire would be a waste of a heavenly treasure. Li Ximing figured that even if he obtained this fire, he would cherish it immensely and would truly be reluctant to transform it into Li Fire...

Aside from his conflict over these two flames, Li Ximing had an even more hidden worry in his heart:

'This great True Person is neither kin nor friend to me; why is he so kind? My trip only involved showing my face; how could there be such heavy compensation? Could it be that I am to be bound by a great karmic debt?'

He hesitated, feeling a belated sense of caution:

'Alas... I often see the immediate benefits as rich and act rashly. I cannot think through things before and after like Brother Jun, making many arrangements. I have just escaped one constraint only to enter another thicket. Fortunately, Jiuqiu's malice is not heavy, and it can still be remedied...'

Out of this worry, Li Ximing left his seat and bowed first, saying respectfully: "To be able to form a bond with Jiuqiu and contribute a little effort, and to meet the great True Person, Zhaojing was already satisfied early on. I originally had no greedy heart and only held the thought of removing the mark. Now, fearing the peacock's lewd power and unable to calm my terror, I dare not accept the great True Person's spirit objects, only hoping for a little shelter to avoid the poisonous beak."

Upon hearing these words, Daoist Daoist Houfu was slightly stunned, while True Person Senior Yuan Dao raised his eyebrows, the corners of his mouth curving as he said:

"You are indeed a cautious one. Since that is the case, I can tell you clearly... Once you hear it, do not speak of it again."

Li Ximing nodded quickly. The great True Person laughed: "You guessed correctly. Something extraordinary was indeed taken from this Daoist treasury, and it is very important to the peacocks. If a treasure of this level were known, it would be enough to shake the Buddhist soil. The upper echelons would be alarmed, and Pijia and Xipo would have to come personally to take it."

Li Ximing's heart suddenly sank. Seeing the other party speak openly, he instead felt relieved. True Person Senior Yuan Dao stared at him with his slightly reddish eyes and replied: "But this matter was not done privately by my Jiuqiu lineage, do you understand? Pijia strictly ordered the abbot Yu Kuan to personally enter the Buddhist soil to report it, which was also a decided matter. This treasure cannot fall into the hands of the peacocks; they cannot even be allowed to know its trail! Although the peacocks are not worth mentioning... their voices are very loud."

When he said the last sentence, Senior Yuan Dao's expression suddenly turned gloomy. Li Ximing nodded in understanding, and Senior Yuan Dao said softly:

"No matter how Yu Kuan reports the loss of the peacock treasury to Pijia and Xipo later, the two Mahas will not take it seriously. Instead, they will drag their feet and handle it lightly, as they do not want you to fall into the hands of the peacocks and give them any chance to know."

"The only ones you have truly offended are the few peacocks in this temple. Even if this secret were exposed overnight, it would only cause an uproar in the Buddhist soil and internal chaos; no one would treat you as the culprit."

"As for the spirit fire."

Senior Yuan Dao looked at him with a smile and said softly:

"Whether it is 【Exhaustive Return Flame】 or 【Three-Watch Garrison Profound Fire】, neither can be separated from Jiuqiu. This is my Jiuqiu lineage already protecting you, indicating to the Buddhist soil that the Immortal Dao will not sacrifice even one Zifu for this matter."

Li Ximing suddenly understood, nodded repeatedly, bowed to Senior Yuan Dao again, and replied:

"Thank you, great True Person! This junior..."

Senior Yuan Dao waved his hand to signal, saying casually:

"No need to thank me. My Jiuqiu cannot help with big things, but I can support you in minor matters. When your family truly encounters trouble, just don't blame my lineage for standing by and watching."

This sentence came abruptly and could not even be considered polite. Li Ximing was slightly stunned, but Daoist Daoist Houfu, who was in front of him, nodded slightly and took over the conversation: "The great True Person has always been kind and charitable. Jiuqiu Xianshan has helped many people, so it is inevitable that such things happen... Zhaojing is a kind person, and his reputation in Jiangnan is very good. His grand-uncle... is a capable general under True Person Yuanxiu."

Senior Yuan Dao smiled slightly and signaled to Senior Senior Lingdu: "Bring the fire."

Senior Senior Lingdu went down immediately, and Senior Yuan Dao started chatting: "It's a long story... Back then, True Persons Yuanxiu and Yuanxiu both came to Jiuqiu. I am of the same generation as them. At that time, these two brothers were always bickering and even had a big argument, parting on bad terms. Later, there were no more close interactions."

"But a few days ago, Yuanxiu came to see me. When talking about Yuanxiu, he lowered his head and raised his forehead, sitting on pins and needles. Thinking about it... there is still affection there."

Li Ximing nodded respectfully on the surface, but a doubt arose in his heart: 'If that's the case... Yuanxiu, the youngest of the Qingchi Three Yuans, doesn't have much lifespan left. How much better can this True Person Senior Yuan Dao be? But looking at his appearance... his spirit and energy are still maintained at their peak, and his appearance is even that of a young man. There is no trace of twilight in his tone... If he isn't using supernatural powers to conceal it, he truly has a great method for nourishing his lifespan...'

Just as he finished pondering, Senior Senior Lingdu had already come up from the side, holding two small bowls in his hands.

One looked like it was forged from Geng metal, plated with something unknown, looking dark and dull. The other was a vermilion ceramic bowl. Both were only the size of a child's fist.

Senior Senior Lingdu brought them in front of him and opened the Geng metal one first, revealing a gray-gold grain of light inside, introducing: "This is 【Exhaustive Return Flame】, which is a combined fire. There is a portion stored in the mountain. This fire damages utensils, so it is best to use seamless Geng metal to hold it."

He then took out the other one, which was a bright red speck of light, the size of a grain of rice. Presumably, Jiuqiu had an extraordinary method of sealing and capturing. No matter how fierce the fire was, once captured in this bowl, it was nothing more than a grain of rice.

"This is 【Three-Watch Garrison Profound Fire】, which is a True Fire. True Fire refines gold, so it is held in a glazed ceramic magic treasure tempered with combined water."

Li Ximing knew these were for him to choose from. After hesitating slightly, he took the vermilion ceramic bowl and said respectfully:

"This junior follows the great True Person's decree, keeps the great kindness in mind, and will never forget it."

【Exhaustive Return Flame】 and 【Three-Watch Garrison Profound Fire】 were about the same in rarity. If compared by value, 【Three-Watch Garrison Profound Fire】 was likely a step higher. 【Exhaustive Return Flame】 was slightly stronger in power and could also refine elixirs, with the added benefit of fitting with Bright Yang. Li Ximing figured that with the 【Li Gufeng Fire Induction】 talisman energy in hand, he did not lack that bit of compatibility.

Moreover, 【Three-Watch Garrison Profound Fire】 was a True Fire, which likely conformed to the changes of the "Runyang Method". Even if Li Ximing did not intend to transform such a precious fire, having one more path was definitely not a bad thing.

'The Great Li Bai Xiguang needs Li Fire to practice and cast. Without fire, it won't work. Otherwise, it would be best to transform it, practice it, and then transform it back...'

The subtle wonders of 【Exhaustive Return Flame】 and 【Three-Watch Garrison Profound Fire】 could not be summarized in a few words by Senior Yuan Dao and the others, and their application in various scenarios was different. Even if there were things worth regretting in the future, Li Ximing could only make his choice here.

"Congratulations, Zhaojing!"

Daoist Daoist Houfu offered congratulations, and Senior Senior Lingdu also nodded slightly, smiling:

"【Three-Watch Garrison Profound Fire】 is not easy to refine. Take this glazed bowl as well. Even if Zhaojing is not refining it on my Jiuqiu Xianshan, it will be convenient to carry."

Li Ximing had long coveted this thing and wished he could pick up the gold bowl and rub it on his clothes before putting it into his bosom. He said modestly:

"How can this be..."

In fact, Li Ximing really didn't need this thing. With 【Li Gufeng Fire Induction】 in hand, any fire that fell into his hands, even 【Three-Watch Garrison Profound Fire】, would be refined in an instant. It was just that, firstly, he wanted to be low-key, and secondly, he was getting something for free, so why not? He put the bowl away, satisfied. Senior Senior Lingdu then said in a gentle voice:

"There is still the 【Fangyin Pool】 that needs to be passed through... This... please let the great True Person take a look..."

He didn't know if he was hesitating toward Senior Yuan Dao or Li Ximing. After all, probing a Dharma body was often a taboo matter, and one couldn't be sure what methods might be left behind. But Li Ximing had treasures on him and was not afraid at all. He pretended to hesitate for a moment and reached out.

Senior Yuan Dao looked sideways, touched him lightly, and withdrew immediately. The great True Person's eyes moved, sweeping over Li Ximing, and he said with slight surprise:

"The so-called Douxuan lineage mentioned by Senior Senior Lingdu, and the traces left by the silver bottle, were not discovered. The karmic bond of the 【Kong Que Son-Sending Plate】 was also resolved by the 【Seven Abode Lotus Seeds】... Zhaojing's Dharma body... aside from some minor injuries, there is nothing else."

'That old thing Senior Chang Xiao... is indeed playing these tricks of illusion!'

Li Ximing cursed in his heart. Senior Yuan Dao continued: "However... since you are here, you can go for a walk. These minor injuries can be healed along the way, which will also improve your cultivation a little."

"Please wait in the cave dwelling, Zhaojing. The 【Fangyin Pool】 in the mountains will only thaw at the hour of the Rat. When the time comes, I will send disciples to guide you in advance."

Li Ximing knew he was being dismissed. He thanked him, bowed slightly, and walked away quickly. After he left the place, Senior Yuan Dao asked: "How is it?"

Daoist Daoist Houfu pondered for a moment and replied:

"His talent is good, and he has a kind nature. It's a pity his background is too shallow. He hasn't seen many good things, is easily moved, and is not good at refusing... To be able to become a Zifu, his mind is not bad either. At least among ordinary clan cultivators, he is top-notch, but among Zifu, he can only be considered mediocre. There is only one point—the matter of Xuanyue shows his stubborn and promise-keeping character. He can be befriended, and there is no great harm in being an enemy."

Senior Yuan Dao laughed. He looked even younger than Daoist Daoist Houfu and only said: "Stubborn and promise-keeping is not necessarily true. He might value affection, or he might just be unable to step down."

Li Ximing sat down by the stream in the maple forest. The gurgling sound of water was pleasant. The white jade lamp base flowing down had already been replaced with another spirit object. It was a pity that compared to his cultivation, the grade of this resource was too low and had almost no effect.

He took the vermilion small bowl into his hand, stroked it for a while, and pondered: 'The spirit material of this thing is not high, but the craftsmanship is extremely exquisite. It seems to be a special refining method...'

Li Ximing flicked his finger lightly, and several hazy red lights immediately lit up at the mouth of the bowl, revealing a small golden-red speck. After only one breath, the bright red flame gushed out from the mouth of the bowl, like a cluster of golden flowers. It first bloomed, and petals of gold hung in the air, extremely beautiful.

This flame immediately wanted to leave. Two streams of bright red flame flowed down, supporting the rim of the bowl, trying to pull half of its body out. Li Ximing took the opportunity to observe.

This fire presented a bright red color overall, with a scorching red outer ring, carrying layers of pale red patterns, and the inside was whitish, with golden flashes jumping out from time to time.

After all, this was someone else's territory. He didn't know if there were eyes in the forest or if the Zifu formation here had any methods. Li Ximing did not immediately refine the 【Three-Watch Garrison Profound Fire】 but sensed it for a while and reached out to the scorching red outer flame.

A piercing pain came immediately. Li Ximing withdrew his hand, his fingertips slightly pale:

'It is much more profound than the Bright Yang Purple Flame... The power of the flame is even less comparable. True Fire has the power to burn utensils, while Bright Yang is the path of growth. Although this 【Three-Watch Garrison Profound Fire】 is not fierce, its ability to burn magic treasures and Dharma bodies is simply worlds apart from the Bright Yang Purple Flame that comes with supernatural powers...'

'My Dharma body should be considered quite good among Zifu who have not refined body supernatural powers, but facing 【Three-Watch Garrison Profound Fire】, I still have to retreat...'

Resisting the urge to refine this fire to refine elixirs, he closed his eyes and entered meditation. Soon, an immortal boy came up and said respectfully:

"Please follow me, True Person."

Li Ximing followed all the way and soon arrived deep in the forest. Purple Qi began to emerge under his feet. Passing through a small path hazy with purple mist, he saw a small pool built with fine white stones, which seemed empty inside.

The boy had already retreated, but a person was standing beside the pool. It was Tantai Muming from earlier. He bowed to Li Ximing and said respectfully:

"Greetings, True Person Zhaojing."

"This is the 【Fangyin Pool】, a wonderful place with the nature of Clear Qi and Lesser Yin. The spiritual opportunity is pure and harmonious, suitable for all paths. There is a resource inside called 【Fangxi Fangxi Fangxi Miaolu】, which is especially able to heal spiritual sense, improve magic power, remove impurities, dispel alien forces, nourish life, and avoid thunder."

Li Ximing nodded slightly and saw Tantai Muming say: "Please sit quietly by the pool, True Person, and operate your supernatural powers to practice."

Li Ximing had originally wanted to enter the pool to practice. If there were any accidents, it might endanger his Dharma body. He was happy to sit by the pool. Just as he closed his eyes, Tantai Muming also retreated.

He practiced for a short half-hour and only felt a coolness between his eyebrows, as if a drop of clear dew had fallen between them. His mind was indeed clear, comfortable, and refreshing.

Zifu cultivators ascending to the Yang Prefecture had already pushed into the Great Void. Li Ximing saw it clearly. This clear dew surged in from between his eyebrows and immediately dripped out from the Ascending Yang Prefecture, turning into a torrential rain, dripping and tapping in the prefecture.

Li Ximing felt as if he were in the rain and pondered in his heart:

"If I break through to Zifu here, can 【Fangxi Fangxi Fangxi Miaolu】 fall down from time to time to clear my spiritual sense? If it has such a wonderful effect, it is a rare treasure."

Just as he finished thinking, the supernatural powers in his body rose sharply, and a huge amount of supernatural magic power surged into his body. It turned out that white Qi had already floated up here, nourishing every corner of his Dharma body.

Li Ximing hurriedly operated his supernatural powers and meditated.

But the white Qi was vast, and the speed of refining supernatural powers was far from enough. Ninety percent of it escaped outside his Dharma body. Li Ximing looked at it and felt a little pity: "Such pure magic power... It's a pity that refining supernatural powers is far from just having enough magic power... It's fine if the magic power is enough, but how can the refining speed be so fast?"

Just as he was regretting, a light rose in his Qi sea, and the supernatural magic power that spread throughout his Dharma body surged toward the Qi sea like crazy. In a storm of white Qi, a brilliance suddenly rose: 【Li Gufeng Fire Induction】! 【Li Gufeng Fire Induction】 can manipulate fire and induce Qi, refining True Essence and magic power!

In Li Ximing's half-life cultivation career, the role played by 【Li Gufeng Fire Induction】 was not great. Although it was quite helpful for cultivation speed, it was far from being as terrifying as Li Yuanjiao's 【Qi-Walking Spirit Swallowing】. Only now did he realize that the vast magic power was surging over.

But Li Ximing still couldn't refine the supernatural powers in time and could only operate the talisman energy first.

If 【Qi-Walking Spirit Swallowing】 were here, it might turn all these things into cultivation. Li Ximing could only watch helplessly as 【Li Gufeng Fire Induction】 swallowed all this magic power in one breath, and after refining, it all gathered in the Qi sea.

Li Ximing scanned it twice and pondered: 'It's not bad.'

Only then did he open his eyes. In front of him was still that bamboo forest. The white stone spirit pool under his feet had already frozen into a thick layer of blue ice, reflecting crystal-clear brilliance. The mist in the forest had also disappeared completely.

His Dharma body was naturally intact, without any sequelae, and even improved slightly. His cultivation had also grown a lot. 【Li Gufeng Fire Induction】 helped a little, and the 【Gate-Visiting Heaven】 plus his original cultivation had already entered the threshold.

'It also saved three years of effort.'

He flicked his sleeves, stood up, and walked out of the path. There were only two cultivators guarding the forest. Seeing him, they hurriedly bowed and saluted. Li Ximing only asked: "How many days have passed?"

"Reporting to the True Person, we have been guarding here since the True Person went into seclusion. Eight months have passed."

"Has True Person Daoist Daoist Houfu left the mountain?"

When Li Ximing asked this, the other party replied immediately:

"Reporting to the True Person, True Person Daoist Daoist Houfu has been lecturing on scriptures and teaching arts in the mountain for the past few months, once a month, and has not left. He should still be in the mountain now."

'How good at doing favors...'

Li Ximing was in a great mood and went toward the top of the mountain. Sure enough, he saw Daoist Daoist Houfu and Senior Senior Lingdu talking about mysteries in the forest from afar, with that chessboard still in front of them. This time, it seemed to be a new game, with only a few pieces placed.

As long as the two were playing, Li Ximing didn't have to worry about them pulling him into the game. He walked over generously. The two looked up, and Senior Senior Lingdu smiled: "Congratulations, Zhaojing!"

Li Ximing returned the courtesy politely and asked:

"Where is the great True Person? I still need to go and thank him!"

Senior Senior Lingdu shook his head and replied:

"He has already gone to visit friends and will be hard to return for three to five years."

Li Ximing was full of regret and said a few polite words. He felt a little relieved in his heart, sat down to the side, looked at Daoist Daoist Houfu, and whispered: "Senior Daoist Daoist Houfu, when will you return to Jiangnan?"

Daoist Daoist Houfu was surprised:

"Perhaps it will take a few more months."

Li Ximing took the opportunity to speak, smiling:

"I have a matter to entrust to you, Senior... I took in a Foundation Establishment cultivator overseas and am about to bring her back to Jiangnan, but I have many affairs overseas and cannot spare myself. Please help me, Senior."

It wouldn't actually take much time for a Zifu to go to Jiangnan. The two naturally understood why he wouldn't go back personally. Daoist Daoist Houfu just nodded:

"It's that Xia Shouyu, right! She has often come to listen to my preaching these past few months. Earlier, I thought she was a disciple of Jiuqiu seeking the Dao. Although her cultivation is shallow, her heart toward the Dao is not bad."

Li Ximing nodded and said with slight regret:

"I chose her carefully, but her background is a bit poor... and she doesn't have the surname Li. I'm afraid she won't have the prestige or status to suppress everyone when she goes back... It's troublesome! I was still thinking about choosing a background for her."

He went to look at Senior Senior Lingdu. This old man was shrewd and said leisurely: "That's not difficult. Let her hang a powerful status. Since she is far overseas, it doesn't matter if it's true or false. If you don't mind, Fellow Daoist, you can hang a status of a relative of a Jiuqiu cultivator on her, recognizing a background..."

Li Ximing had originally wanted to see if he could get an outer disciple status. He didn't expect Senior Senior Lingdu to not want to touch any karma at all, and he didn't want to touch his lineage at all. He replied: "That is a good method..."

Senior Senior Lingdu sighed deeply and replied:

"There is a disciple in the mountain who broke through to Zifu and fell, breaking the incense. Recognize her as a granddaughter and let her call him grandfather... Insert a few sticks of incense on the spirit tablet, and it will be settled."

Senior Senior Lingdu pulled out a dead person. Li Ximing didn't mind; it was just a matter of pulling a name. He smiled: "Good! It's really troubling you, Senior Senior Senior Lingdu!"

Not long after, Tantai Muming led Xia Shouyu up in a hurry. The woman looked uneasy. She was completely unqualified to speak here. Senior Senior Lingdu just glanced at her, and the old True Person said:

"Muming!"

Tantai Muming hurriedly went up, and the two whispered for a while. Tantai Muming didn't know if he knew the truth, but when he retreated, his expression changed completely. He said happily:

"So it is the granddaughter of Senior Brother Yu Dui who was left outside. I will take her down to recognize her ancestors and return to the clan!"

Xia Shouyu reacted faster, her eyes turned red, and she nodded heavily. Tantai Muming led her out, talking about intimate things along the way, looking twelve points of concern.

Li Ximing watched the two leave, and Senior Senior Lingdu sighed meaningfully:

"Zhaojing... one is a myriad of sweet rain that cannot be supported, and the other is a light breeze to the nine heavens. It is really hard to say..."

Characters appearing in this chapter

————

Yuan○dao 【Zifu Peak】 【Lord of Taiqiu Lineage】 【Tantai Jiuqiu Lineage】 【Zifu Alchemist】

【Kong Que Sea Tantai Clan】

Li Ximing 【Zifu Early Stage】 【Zifu Alchemist】

Ling○Du 【Zifu Middle Stage】 【Tantai Jiuqiu Lineage】

Hou○Fu 【Zifu Early Stage】 【Great Xiukui Temple】

Tantai Muming 'Qi Induction Pool' 【Foundation Establishment Late Stage】

Xia Shouyu 'Bai Lixin' 【Foundation Establishment Early Stage】