Chapter 924: The Guest from the West

The two had just reached an agreement when the silver door rattled, and a green shadow descended from within. It was a middle-aged man, appearing to be thirty-five or thirty-six, with a broad face, large eyes, thick brows, and a heavy beard. His brows looked as if they had been chiseled by a blade—deep and blunt—while his entire face was rigid and taut; beneath his beard, one could vaguely see his clenched jaw.

He carried an axe on his back as large as a door panel. His eyes were like sharp swords, exuding an air of ferocity and stubbornness. His back was extremely broad, and as he entered like a giant bear pushing aside a curtain, the entire pavilion suddenly felt cramped.

"Fellow Daoist Qingyan!"

The moment Liu Zhangdie saw him, his expression immediately turned serious. He straightened up and said solemnly:

"You've come at just the right time!"

With just this one glance, Li Ximing could see the power and prestige of this person's supernatural ability. The 'Qingxuan' path was inherently extraordinary. Back in the day, Yuan Chengdun of the Yuan family was a formidable figure who shook the Jiangnan region, and he was also the last true heaven-gifted talent of the Yuan family worth mentioning! Now, this person not only had an extraordinary background as a noble descendant, but his Qingxuan had also become a supernatural ability. Whether in terms of spell-dueling or the wonders of his ability, he was top-tier. Naturally, he could not be easily offended. Li Ximing stood up and said, "Greetings, Fellow Daoist... I am Zhaojing from Wangyue Lake."

"Apologies for the long wait, you two!"

His voice was like a great bell, deep and resonant. He fixed his eyes on Li Ximing for a moment and replied:

"It has been a long time since I last saw a descendant of the Wei."

Li Ximing cupped his hands and replied, "The rumors across the four borders have made you laugh, Fellow Daoist."

The man sat at the table, occupying more than half of it by himself and casting a heavy shadow over the tabletop. He said in a deep voice:

"In my early years, while searching for the 【Great Secret of Fuyuan】, I traveled north through the Great Food lands, headed toward Dayuan, and passed through the Western Sea. I also met a fellow daoist there whose dao title was Yangya. He was of the Cui clan, though not as orthodox as you, Fellow Daoist."

Li Ximing had heard of True Person Yangya; he was a True Person from the Cui clan who had moved to the Western Sea and had since had little contact with the main branch. Liu Zhangdie poured him tea and smiled:

"I have heard of him too... He is a handsome man, quite famous in the Western Sea, and there are even some interesting stories about him..."

Hearing this, Qingyan chuckled twice, pinching a tiny teacup with his large hands. Liu Zhangdie immediately turned to Li Ximing and smiled: "He was originally living his own life, having cultivated a palace and arranged for some descendants, but the local barbarians didn't know any better. After seeing him act a few times, they prostrated themselves in worship and called him the Sun God."

Li Ximing was speechless. Liu Zhangdie teased, "This was a life-threatening matter! It scared him so much that he broke through his seclusion and fled overnight. Yet the barbarians below were ignorant and couldn't be taught, so he had no choice but to take in a few princes from the barbarian kingdoms, bring them into his palace to cultivate, and then send them back to civilize their people. What a storm that caused! I heard that at the time, it caused such a stir that... cultivators of the Sun Daoist lineage all went to question him."

Li Ximing was silent, his interest piqued. He asked:

"I wonder who it was?"

Liu Zhangdie had not been in the Zifu realm for long, and many of these anecdotes were things he had heard himself, so he had to look to Qingyan. The man set down his cup somewhat stiffly and stroked his beard: "It was Yuanyuan."

"So it was him!"

Both Liu Zhangdie and Li Ximing were struck with realization. Liu Zhangdie added with a smile:

"Yuanyuan also has a foul temper. It's no wonder he was idle enough to make the trip. He was even worse when he was young; he's older now, so he should be much easier to deal with."

Li Ximing nodded secretly. After a few sentences of familiarity, Liu Zhangdie asked: "This 【Wangjin Xuanyan Pill】 for Fellow Daoist Fuxun needs to be refined by Zhaojing, and we also request Fellow Daoist Qingyan to lend a hand."

"He has already discussed it with me."

But the man frowned, and a dignified, inviolable aura immediately appeared on his fierce and stubborn face. He pressed his large palm onto the table and said in a deep voice: "I have already said, I find this method too extreme and too violent; it goes against the path of nurturing blessings in Mianjin. How can it be used so lightly! We noble descendants should not be mentioned in the same breath as common demons and ghosts, yet he is performing the deeds of demons and ghosts! He cultivates 'Rui Qi', not Ming..."

He perhaps wanted to say 'Mingyang', but out of consideration for Li Ximing on the side, he did not finish the sentence. His eyes drooped slightly, and he said in a low voice:

"If this pill is taken, success would be neither good nor bad. He would still need to nurture his Mianjin blessed nature for decades. But if it fails, I fear he will suffer greatly."

Although this man looked fierce and rugged, it was clear he truly regarded Fuxun as a close friend. Li Ximing listened from the side and nodded secretly: 'The dragon-kind have always been independent of the demon-kind, considering themselves a race apart. I fear most of these noble descendants hold this view. Their ancestors were all of high status, and they cannot be mentioned in the same breath as demons, much like the Bai Lin and Luan Que kinds.'

'But why mention 'Mingyang'...'

Liu Zhangdie remained silent, then said in a low voice:

"Fellow Daoist perhaps does not return to Poluo Duo often. Now that the Xiangxiong Kingdom has been established in the Great Xiyuan, the 【Right Eastern Pole Star】 of the Western Shaoyang is bright... He has no choice but to advance further!"

His expression was complex as he whispered: "Furthermore, with his supernatural ability upon him, half of the affairs in the human world must be considered in his favor. Refining such a 【Wangjin Xuanyan Pill】 specifically by Zhaojing, who cultivates 'Mingyang'—is this not the will of heaven? The first time Senior Fuxun saw Zhaojing... he was rejoicing in his own supernatural ability."

Qingyan's expression was complex for a moment, then he said: "I understand!"

Qingyan said no more and nodded slowly. He left with Li Ximing, while Liu Zhangdie saw them off to the near sea, handed the items to Qingyan, and bid the two farewell.

Upon arriving at the majestic Mount Huyi, the demon king not only had no doubts but even showed a bit more admiration. He praised them endlessly. When they reached the outside of the 【Kuidu Hall】, they saw Houfu walking over through the snow.

Li Ximing introduced the two. Houfu's eyes lit up, and he even hurried over somewhat hastily, saying only politely: "To think it is a descendant of the Qingyi Dili lineage! My apologies for the poor reception."

Qingyan rarely showed a smile, replying: "Mount Huyi is a precious land with a fine immortal sect; the Sun Daoist lineage is truly worthy of its name."

The two were quite enthusiastic, and Houfu was even more emotional. However, realizing the two had important matters to attend to, they did not disturb them further. Li Ximing watched this and calculated secretly:

'Not bad at all... The 'Bingxiu' cultivated by Xiukui is also one of the Three Witches and Two Blessings, and it has much of the witch-blessing path. Presumably, a noble descendant of the Qingxuan path can also be considered a guest...'

Thus, they entered from outside the hall and arrived before the 【Xiuxuan Dujing Furnace】.

Qingyan looked around and took a silver basin from his sleeve. It was the size of a sea bowl, bright silver as if filled with a basin of clear water, emitting a soft light like the bright moon. He said in a deep voice: "Fellow Daoist Zhaojing, I cultivate the 'Qingxuan' supernatural ability, and the blessing technique must be held by my side. This is 【Eastern Fate Flowing Water】. It has already been chanted with eighty-one types of forbidden texts and blessed with the supernatural ability a thousand times. You must keep it in your hands."

"When it comes time to refine the pill, you will incorporate this water into the Juque, and use your spiritual sense to soak it. This water will inevitably disperse as the pill is refined. I will assist from the side with the 【Upper Rock God】!"

This process was not complicated. As for keeping a guard up, Li Ximing had a true fire suppressing his Juque court, and if necessary, the flames in his Qi sea could also pour down. Even Zifu spiritual water would be burned away, so he was not afraid of the demon before him playing tricks.

"Fellow Daoist, rest assured. First, wait for me to refine the auxiliary medicines."

He tapped the furnace body lightly, and the lid flew up immediately. Various auxiliary medicines leaped out from his sleeves, pouring into the furnace like a river or waterfall, and the true fire ignited immediately.

After all, the 【Wangjin Xuanyan Pill】 was a spiritual pill made of two great medicines, and the difficulty was extremely high. Just these preliminary auxiliary medicines alone took over three hundred and seventy types to burn, and it was not until there was only pale golden pill liquid in the furnace that the two golden boxes appeared in his palm.

The lid was lifted immediately, and the first thing to come into view was that box of golden clouds.

These clouds were wispy and drifting, seemingly unremarkable, but the moment they entered his eyes, Li Ximing felt a palpitation surge in his heart, and an impulse arose that a great opportunity was before him.

Looking further into the golden clouds, various illusions were flickering within. One moment it was the golden 【Mingfang Heavenly Stone】, and the next it was the colorful 【Boundless Water and Fire】.

'What a spiritual object!'

Li Ximing used his supernatural ability to drive the 【Non-Falling Golden Clouds】 into the furnace. As the flames continued to roast them, this spiritual object became urgent, and the illusions within became more numerous and precious. However, Li Ximing did not take another look. He opened the other golden box, inside of which lay a golden, chicken-heart-sized point of light. The various magic powers flowing above it were surprisingly similar to those on Fuxun!

At this glance, the last piece of doubt in Li Ximing's heart was immediately filled. Li Zhouwei had not failed to tell him about the events at Great Lishan, and his understanding of Mingyang was not shallow. At this moment, he saw through it all:

'{Mysterious Chest Golden-Winged Bat}... I fear that is Fuxun's race. This heart was dug out from his father's generation! He was happy the moment he saw me because the sign of Mingyang on me is exactly what corresponds to his act of {Eating the Father with the Son}!'

For Zifu cultivators, imagery was an extremely important thing, let alone a life-supernatural ability like Fuxun's that bolstered destiny? Sure enough, as this heart was taken out, Qingyan at the side lowered his brows. Li Ximing sighed secretly and put the mountain-heavy heart inside. The 【Eastern Fate Flowing Water】 in his Qi sea immediately began to rise, as if blessed by inspiration. Li Ximing poured his supernatural ability into it and began to refine the pill.

The 【Wangjin Xuanyan Pill】 was different from the various pills he had refined before. This heart was more stubborn than iron or stone. Even with the blessing of supernatural ability and the scorching true fire, it was difficult to melt it and combine it with the other medicinal liquids. Li Ximing's supernatural ability poured down, and his entire body's magic power was injected into it, rising and falling like the tide.

Jin Yu Sect, Ziyan Cave.

Mist-like purple smoke drifted, flowing over the ink-jade-like steps. On the mountaintop, the talisman that legend said sealed the six sun-essences glowed brilliantly, casting a sheet of golden white.

It was rumored that this talisman was something higher than the Zifu, and the six sun-essences were merely sealed within it, borrowing this object to be nurtured. The main body was even more mysterious and hard to find. As for how wondrous the talisman drawn upon it was, that was something only known to the Golden Core realm.

The man in golden sleeves painted with flying sand and spiritual fire sat on the lowest step, letting the purple smoke pass through his sleeves, staring into the distant horizon, looking somewhat melancholy.

On the other side stood a broad-shouldered, sturdy man, his brows raised high, his eyes beneath them faintly containing anger, standing with his hands behind his back.

"Have you seen anything?"

The sitting man raised his head, revealing a rather dashing and romantic face. It was none other than True Person Tianhuo.

Before him sat a thin, white, round porcelain plate, the size of a washbasin, covered with a thin layer of water-like golden sand. In the very center of the plate sat a tiny Daoist temple.

This temple was extremely peculiar. Outside the main hall, there were nine structures in total, including corridors, halls, pavilions, and towers, with yellow tiles and vermilion eaves, and steles standing like a forest, all submerged in the sand, like an immortal temple in the desert.

True Person Tianhuo merely pressed his supernatural ability, waited for a long while, and then said:

"There is no trace at the moment, nor are there any special anomalies... Uncle-Master is overthinking."

The sturdy man on the other side was naturally True Person Tian Que, who had long been stationed in the Wu Kingdom for Jin Yu and was known for his short temper. At this moment, his brows furrowed, and he opened his mouth to say:

"He, Xue Yang, came easily and left freely. How long must we worry? A True Person at the peak of Zifu with perfected supernatural abilities wandering around Jiangnan—how many people are sitting on pins and needles!"

True Person Tianhuo looked somewhat embarrassed and advised: "Xue Yang does not seem like a person of sinister schemes, and Yao Guanyi will not exert force above my family. He is actually afraid that my family's True Lord is plotting against them... Uncle-Master is overthinking."

These Golden Core forces with long-standing traditions often had huge age gaps between the same generation. Tian Que was clearly much older than him, and his cultivation was higher, but his seniority in the clan was similar to his. Even though he was called Uncle-Master, he was even of the brother generation in the clan, and both had been granted the 'Tian' dao title. At this moment, he sighed:

"Overthinking? How can I not worry? That person from Zhanghuai has already returned. If I am not mistaken, Sui Guan has also left the cave heaven, but the True Lord is still missing... In times of such change, it is hard not to worry."

His expression was uneasy as he replied: "In matters of change, how can we know there won't be more? There are many who covet the Geng-Metal position; I only worry about someone taking advantage of the void."

Tianhuo shook his head and smiled: "【Qi Ku Bao Suo】, the world is nothing but Geng and Dui. Although True Lord Xiaojin is formidable and one of the few ancient True Lords still existing... he is ultimately unwilling to enter the world, and he and my family's True Lord take what they need... Who would plot against the Geng position?"

Although he was optimistic, Tian Que on the side clearly did not think so. Just as he was about to speak, Tianhuo said:

"Furthermore, the 【Nine Gates Temple】 has already been refined into a spiritual tool, and the 【Li Shu Xin Sha】 is also formidable. But if Xue Yang is determined to hide, he cannot be found. If he is not a person who hides and acts sinisterly, why look for him? Uncle-Master, instead of worrying about him, you might as well consider the matter of the 【Xuanming Qi】."

Tian Que shook his head and said: "The 【Xuanming Qi】 was taken by Sui Guan and ended up in the hands of Lushui. It is different from what was supposed to be delivered. Xue Yang did not say anything, so it is highly likely that it is a tacit understanding between Luoxia and Lushui."

Tianhuo smiled, finally moving his gaze away from the temple on the plate and onto the face of his Uncle-Master, his expression somewhat uneasy: "Does Uncle-Master remember... over a hundred years ago, there was an anomaly in Ziyan Cave? That fragment erupted, showing signs of breaking free?"

Tian Que frowned and said: "Of course I know... I was there at the time... Isn't this a matter that has already been concluded by many parties? Liu Zhangdie! That lucky fellow received the inspiration from within the Grand Void, which can be considered as having heaven's destiny upon him."

Tianhuo's expression was solemn as he replied: "Correct... The True Lord said it was the inspiration of the 【Great Expansion Heavenly Plain Book】 in the 【Wanling Heaven】, which bestowed blessings upon him, causing the fragments of the immortal tool with monitoring capabilities to react. Subsequent events also proved that these two objects were indeed ownerless."

"But if we change our train of thought, the fragments in our hands can be stimulated. Does this not also mean that the broken main body of the immortal tool in the 【Donghua Heaven】 must have reacted?"

Tian Que fell into deep thought. The youth saw this and said: "Don't forget, the 【Xuanming Qi】 proposed in this fragment is the only thing that can echo with the immortal tool. If there is any connection with the outside world this time, the Master of the Moon-Splendor Origin Mansion has an extraordinary relationship with the 【Yingze】 Immortal in the Sun position, both coming from Qingxuan. Would those few not want the things in the mansion...?"

Tian Que fell silent. Although he was also Zifu, he had to pay attention to status. He was far inferior to the Tianhuo before him, and naturally, the things he knew could not compare. He hesitated for a long time and asked: "You mean..."

Tianhuo whispered: "Don't look at the noisy events of Li Qianyuan; the hearts of the True Lords are still on the Origin Mansion. Although the Great Lord does not say it, the fact that the object could be taken away shows that he also wants to get to the bottom of it."

"It is good now. The certification of 'Yu Zhen' proves that that person is truly willing to leave the fruit position, and is not playing tricks of reality and illusion. There is no conspiracy or trickery, and one obstacle in front has been removed..."

His expression was ghostly, revealing a color of both shock and fear, his tone shocking and cold:

"But who leads this matter? Who dares to lead it? This is going to be a long struggle! Luoxia is not stupid either. The Master of the Mansion back then was suspected to be the reincarnation of an Immortal Lord..."

"Guess... how many of those in the sky... are trembling with fear!"

Characters appearing in this chapter

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Liu Zhangdie 【Zifu Early Stage】 【Zifu Array Master】

Hou○fu 【Zifu Early Stage】

Li Ximing 【Zifu Early Stage】 【Zifu Pill Master】

Tian○huo 【Zifu Early Stage】

Tian○que 【Zifu Early Stage】