Chapter 643: Immortal Points the Way, Guiding the Divine Fire? (Combined)

……

"Magic power?"

In the only remaining Qiandian of the imperial city, hearing Li Yuan's question about magic power, Chi He Lian was startled and doubtful. After a moment's hesitation, she still answered:

"The Three Essences united as one, Earth Fiend and Heavenly Gang-grade divine patterns, and the True Form Diagram — all three combined are required to forge magic power. None can be omitted."

"Heh~"

Before Chi He Lian could finish speaking, she was cut off by a cold laugh. The spirit tortoise in the side hall sat cross-legged and glanced at her sidelong:

"How many strands of magic power do you have? And you dare teach others to forge magic power?"

"You—!"

Chi He Lian glared furiously.

Gui Gui Laoxian paid no heed, instead turning his gaze to Pang Pang Wenlong and Li Yuan in the hall:

"The Poison Dragon Academy has the Five Veins and Six Gates. The Five Veins are Gold, Azure, Yellow, Crimson, and White. The Six Gates are 'Auditor,' 'Inner Disciple,' 'Outer Disciple,' 'Core Disciple,' 'True Inheritor,' and 'Dao Child.'"

"This girl's talent is not bad, but she must never have forged magic power herself, otherwise she wouldn't have been sent out here. Am I right?"

At the end, he glanced at Chi He Lian again. The latter's face flushed red, yet she could not retort.

"What part of what she said was wrong?"

Li Yuan only cared about this point.

"Right, but also not right. However, before answering the two of you, this old man wishes to discuss the price first."

Gui Gui Laoxian squeezed out a stiff smile, not beating around the bush, and directly stated his request:

"This old man only seeks to free himself."

Li Yuan looked at Pang Pang Wenlong, who calmly nodded:

"Releasing you is fine, but only after you lead Li Yuan to Tian Shi Yuan."

"He's going to Tian Shi Yuan?"

Gui Gui Laoxian frowned, hesitated again and again, but still gritted his teeth and agreed.

"I can lead the way too!"

Li Yuan had no objection, but Chi He Lian grew anxious: "This old Wang Ba is the most treacherous and deceitful. Once you release him, you'll surely suffer backlash. Please, do not agree to him!"

"You—!"

Gui Gui Laoxian flew into a rage.

"Enough!"

Seeing the two about to quarrel, Pang Pang Wenlong frowned. He released his true gang for an instant then withdrew it, and the man and the tortoise both groaned, their faces turning deathly pale.

"Go ahead and ask."

Pang Pang Wenlong flung his sleeve, took a meditation cushion and sat down. Regarding 'magic power,' he too was very interested.

Li Yuan nodded and continued his inquiry:

"Senior Gui, what was wrong with what Chi He Lian said earlier?"

"The three conditions she mentioned are indeed the prerequisites for forging magic power, but even if all three are met, it doesn't guarantee one can forge magic power."

Gui Gui Laoxian composed himself, glared fiercely at Chi He Lian, then answered:

"The method of magic power is the method of the laws of heaven and earth. Therefore, magic power can be used to refine dharma treasures, to activate Gu Gu Shentong… The Poison Dragon Academy has tens of millions of disciples, but those who can forge magic power number only two or three out of ten."

"Is that so?"

Li Yuan nodded thoughtfully.

Pang Pang Wenlong suddenly spoke, pressing further: "For one who has already forged a Divine Palace, can they still forge magic power?"

"This…"

Gui Gui Laoxian was very tactful: "Methods to remedy a deficient foundation are not rare, it's just that this old tortoise has no such methods, but the Poison Dragon Academy surely does…"

'Damned old Wang Ba!'

Feeling Pang Pang Wenlong's gaze, Chi He Lian cursed inwardly and hurriedly answered: "The Academy naturally has such Mi Fa, but this junior does not possess them."

"Mm."

Pang Pang Wenlong did not press further, merely glancing at Li Yuan:

"After merging weapons, can the Dragon-Tiger Nourishing Furnace still be used?"

"Naturally it can."

Li Yuan nodded, already understanding his meaning.

Remedying the foundation from top to bottom is naturally very difficult, but self-severing and re-cultivating poses no problem. Pang Pang Wenlong had handled most Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing, so he naturally understood the use of the Dragon-Tiger Nourishing Furnace.

Still, he could not help feeling some emotion.

The path of cultivation is truly like treading on thin ice. Without a predecessor's guidance, it's easy to go astray. For someone like Pang Pang Wenlong, had he known earlier the conditions required to forge magic power, why would he have needed to self-sever and re-cultivate?

Certainly, with his talent and foundation, re-cultivating was far faster than ordinary cultivators, but this round trip would waste no less than several decades.

'Fortunately, this Daoist master has always been cautious, no need to take that blade of self-severing.'

Li Yuan turned the thought over in his mind, but did not delay listening to Gui Gui Laoxian explain the various issues to note in forging magic power, feeling he had benefited greatly.

'Among Poison Dragon Academy disciples, those who forge magic power are only two or three out of ten, but in Great Fortune, not even half… Old Dragon Head, Dragon Dao Lord, Elder Nie — every single one of them would probably have to self-sever and re-cultivate…'

Daoist Li felt his teeth ache, deeply sensing that his earlier decision not to covet Po Jing and rush into reckless cultivation had been extremely correct.

"…The grade of Fa Li Pin relates to the True Form Diagram. Magic power forged with the 'Nine Flame True Form Diagram,' 'Bright Moon True Form Diagram,' or 'Kun Peng True Form Diagram' — a single strand can equal several strands forged with inferior True Form Diagrams like the 'Demonic Rhinoceros True Form Diagram'…"

Gui Gui Laoxian racked his brains, recounting all he knew. With Pang Pang Wenlong's permission, he even raised a hand and released a strand of magic power.

Hum~

It was a rainbow light, black tinged with blue, circling his body, within which the faint sound of flowing water could be seen.

"This old tortoise's talent is not high, the 'Spirit Tortoise True Form Diagram' I learned is incomplete. I cultivated for three hundred years before obtaining twenty-four strands of Spirit Tortoise magic power…"

Gui Gui Laoxian raised his hand slightly, magic power flowing at his fingertips like water, finally transforming into a lifelike, dark-hued miniature spirit turtle.

"Spirit turtle magic power…"

Li Yuan focused his senses to perceive the difference between magic power and true Qi, and only after switching to a weapon that enhanced his five senses did he discern the distinction:

"It's a combination of divine patterns—no, according to Tian Shi Yuan's terminology, this is a divine prohibition."

With his perception heightened, Li Yuan could clearly sense divine patterns circulating within that spirit turtle magic power—roughly three divine prohibitions, distinct yet resonating with one another.

Together they formed this spirit turtle magic power.

"Hoo!"

Pang Pang Wenlong suddenly raised his hand, grabbed at the void, and seized the spirit turtle formed by the magic power to toy with. Gui Gui Laoxian's facial skin twitched, forcing out a smile as he explained:

"Gui's talent is modest—within my magic power there are only two Earth Fiend divine prohibitions and one Heavenly Gang divine prohibition, three combined into one, a low-grade magic power. Compared to the seniors' incomparably condensed true Qi, it is far inferior…"

"You need not be so modest."

Pang Pang Wenlong toyed with this magic power as he recounted his findings to Li Yuan:

"In terms of condensation, this magic power is indeed inferior to mine, but compared to your Dragon Dao Master it is considerably stronger. Within it lie three wonders—even in a real fight I might not be his match."

"This magic power is livelier in nature."

Li Yuan naturally would not critique his elders, pretending he hadn't heard. He reached out to take that spirit turtle formed by magic power—to the naked eye alone, it was nearly a living creature.

"If the divine prohibitions are not broken, the magic power will not disperse."

Chi He Lian, having finally seized an opportunity, spoke up before Gui Gui Laoxian:

"Twenty years ago, I once sat in on a lecture by the Red Vein Dao Child. He released his own 'Red Dragon magic power' and said that as long as the divine prohibitions within were not broken, that magic power of his could persist in the world even after leaving his body."

'Red Vein Dao Child—should be Shan Xuan Long?'

Li Yuan focused his senses on this magic power for a moment, then looked at Gui Gui Laoxian: "Senior, once this magic power leaves your body, how long can it persist?"

"Red Dragon magic power is one of the thirty-six high-grade magic powers of the Poison Dragon Academy. It is said one must refine 'Twenty-Four Earth Fiends' and 'Twelve Heavenly Gangs' to master it—far beyond what Gui could compare to."

Gui Gui Laoxian's smile grew even more strained: "If the divine prohibitions are not broken, this magic power of Gui's should be able to persist for one thousand two hundred years."

"Remarkable."

Pang Pang Wenlong offered a word of praise.

True Qi too could leave the body and persist for a thousand miles, but without someone maintaining it, it would dissipate within at most a sexagenary cycle; even with someone maintaining it, it absolutely could not persist for a thousand years.

"You flatter me, sir."

Gui Gui Laoxian lowered his brows and meekly complied.

Magic power was naturally stronger than true Qi, but let alone his having only cultivated a low-grade magic power—even if he had cultivated a Zhong Pin Fa, the chances of escaping from this indigenous divine palace would not be great.

As for high-grade magic power, he had never seen it and could not conjecture.

"Only now do I know how vast heaven and earth are."

Pang Pang Wenlong sighed long and deep, raised his hand to knock Gui Gui Laoxian unconscious, then turned to look at Chi He Lian, who had tensed up all over:

"Now let's calculate again—still a mutually destructive outcome?"

Wuu~

The Qiandian suddenly fell silent; an invisible pressure filled the room. Even Li Yuan felt a sense of oppression, and Chi He Lian found it even harder to breathe.

"R-replying to Senior."

Chi He Lian drew a deep breath, unwilling to show her unease and anxiety, forcing herself to remain calm:

"Before Senior arrived, this junior had divined multiple times—all, all were mutually destructive…"

"Mutually destructive."

Pang Pang Wenlong's expression unchanged, merely turned to look at Li Yuan: "The difference between Wu Gong and magic arts, Dao arts, lies in divine patterns. She divined using magic arts—in a certain sense, that is asking heaven and earth?"

"There is such a saying."

Li Yuan nodded. He had gathered quite a bit of scattered intelligence from the General Knowledge Sphere, including information about magic arts.

"From the looks of it now, this 'destruction' character is going to fall upon that blood phoenix?"

Pang Pang Wenlong's expression solemn—he too had glimpsed the figure of that blood phoenix through the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing, and knew full well how terrifying it was.

"It could also be those three suns overhead."

Li Yuan considered further.

The sudden arrival of the blood phoenix was a tremendous crisis, but the countless seekers who had followed the phoenix's trail, as well as the true disciples of those few Holy Land great clans, were equally so.

Moreover, he was very worried that Dong Dong Ershisan might open the Eight Directions Temple ahead of time.

"This…"

Pang Pang Wenlong's expression also shifted slightly.

"Just speculation."

Li Yuan felt somewhat heavy-hearted. With a raise of his hand, he knocked Chi He Lian—who wore a face full of questions she wanted to ask but dared not—unconscious, and awakened the Rear Hall Spirit Turtle:

"Senior Turtle, I've heard the Rear Hall Spirit Turtle clan is well-versed in the art of divination. Might you be willing to divine for us?"

Daoist Li was naturally suspicious by nature and would not easily trust Chi He Lian's words alone. After asking this spirit turtle, he still had to go ask that Yellow Dragon Son…

……

……

After obtaining a divination result from Gui Gui Laoxian that was largely the same as Chi He Lian's, Li Yuan went straight to seek out Yellow Dragon Son.

Divine Capital, outside the Imperial City, in a six-story wine house.

When Li Yuan arrived, Yellow Dragon Son had already ordered a table of wine and dishes, as if he had anticipated the former's arrival.

"This is 'Cloud Spirit Wine,' a specialty of the Cloud Spirit Pavilion. It contains eighteen kinds of spirit rice and has the effects of strengthening the body and nourishing the divine soul. Daoist Li, please try it and tell me how it tastes?"

Yellow Dragon Son rose to pour the wine.

Li Yuan did not refuse, raised his cup and drained it in one gulp. He felt a stream of heat sink into his viscera, then spread throughout his entire body—just this one cup was worth several spiritual pills:

"It really is fine wine."

"Then let's have a few more cups."

Huang Huang Longzi smiled and continued pouring wine.

He knew Li Mou's purpose in coming, but pretended not to, simply drinking with him. Li Mou had matters on his mind, but he too could keep his composure, stubbornly clashing cups with him through three whole pots.

'This kid really can keep his composure.'

Huang Huang Longzi was genuinely somewhat impressed. After a few more cups, seeing the kid remain unruffled, he sighed faintly in his heart and still spoke up first:

"May I ask, Daoist Li, whether that Blood Phoenix has still not departed?"

"Correct."

Li Mou set down his cup and sighed long: "That Blood Phoenix is Reng Zai You Jing, lingering and unwilling to leave — truly worrying."

"With an evil god outside, who can be at ease?"

Huang Huang Longzi sighed along with him: "I won't hide it from you, Daoist Li. The moment this poor Daoist returned to the inn, I immediately set up an altar for divination, and only just stopped — nine trigrams in a row…"

As he spoke, he pointed at his grizzled temples, his heart wrung like a blade: "This divination cost this poor Daoist at least two hundred years of lifespan!"

"What of the trigram readings?"

Li Mou naturally ignored the latter half of the sentence and asked about the trigrams.

"Great ill omen! An unprecedented omen of great ill!"

Huang Huang Longzi's face twitched as he replied in a low voice: "In the dim murk, this poor Daoist saw the Blood Phoenix break through the boundary and come — with but one cry, it burned away a hundred thousand li of mountains and rivers, and swallowed the star core of this realm!"

"That dire?"

Li Mou knew his words were not entirely true, yet could not help a faint twitch of his eyelids: "May I ask, Daoist Huang, did you see where the thread of life lies?"

"Hard, hard, hard!" Huang Huang Longzi shook his head repeatedly. Only after Li Mou pressed him again and again did he finally speak the Po Fa Jie Zhi Fa:

"This poor Daoist poured out all his heart's blood, and only barely saw three threads of life."

"I am willing to hear the details."

Li Mou's expression grew solemn.

"The first — is you, Daoist."

Huang Huang Longzi's face was heavy: "This poor Daoist is willing to make an exception and transmit to you the Great Sacrifice of my Poison Dragon. You Dun Ru You Jing from the Eight Directions Temple, and with the Great Sacrifice summon the Poison Dragon Honored God to descend — a mere Blood Phoenix, broken with a snap of the fingers."

"And the other threads of life?"

Li Mou pressed on.

'This kid's misunderstanding of my Poison Dragon Academy runs deep — no, it's that his wariness is simply too strong…'

Huang Huang Longzi frowned inwardly, but on the surface remained as still as water: "The second thread of life is the Eight Directions Temple. You hold the Eight Directions Token, Daoist — if you do not fear the Blood Phoenix's might, you are more than able to send old friends and kin into the temple for shelter…"

"That is not unworkable."

Li Mou pretended to ponder, but in his heart knew full well Huang Huang Longzi had not spoken a word of truth.

These past years, holding the Eight Directions Token, he had sent people into the Eight Directions Temple countless times — where would he need Huang Huang Longzi to remind him?

"This method is extremely dangerous!"

Seeing Li Mou somewhat tempted, Huang Huang Longzi hurriedly spoke: "That Blood Phoenix has the ability to 'Swallow Heaven.' If you dare Dun Ru You Jing, Daoist, you would likely be devoured in the blink of an eye!"

"How would Li Mou not know this?"

Li Mou nodded at the words, yet sighed long again:

"But if matters cannot be otherwise, there is only to stake life on one desperate strike."

"…"

He really won't consider my Poison Dragon Academy even half a bit?

Huang Huang Longzi was rather at a loss for words, but still forced out a smile: "Rather than risk multiple trips back and forth into You Jing, why not try the Great Sacrifice to my Poison Dragon Honored God, Daoist?"

He was very earnest: "The Poison Dragon Honored God is the most acclaimed benevolent god among all the deities. Once he descends, he would surely be unable to bear the ruin of living things, and would certainly act to save this realm."

Li Mou's face showed hesitation, but in his heart he was already preparing to leave.

Before obtaining the Common Sense Orb, he already held immense wariness toward that Poison Dragon Honored God — what benevolent god takes a venomous dragon for a name?

After obtaining the Common Sense Orb, even though information on deities in the Grand Void Myriad Manifestations would be erased by the 【Universal Realm Common Sense Art】, much of it could still be corroborated from the side.

This Poison Dragon god and a benevolent god — one cannot say they are a hundred thousand eight thousand li apart, but they are entirely unrelated.

"Daoist Li…"

"Allow Li Mou to go back and consider it for a day or two."

Li Mou rose to take his leave. Had he not previously asked Pang Pang Wenlong and learned that this Huang Huang Longzi had a secret treasure on his person and would be hard to capture, he would have been ready to seize him and question him.

"Daoist Li, stay."

Seeing Li Mou truly about to leave, Huang Huang Longzi's heart could not help but tighten.

"No need."

Li Mou waved his hand, his steps not even pausing.

"Daoist Li!"

Huang Huang Longzi stepped forward and blocked him: "Doesn't Daoist Li want to hear where the third thread of life lies?"

"Hmm?"

Li Mou was somewhat surprised, but on second thought had already reacted: 'Right — though this Huang Huang Longzi has a secret treasure protecting him, he absolutely cannot escape the evil god's Gu Gu Shentong.'

"Does the Daoist know — within three days, the Blood Phoenix will surely descend!"

Huang Huang Longzi forced a bitter smile and loosened his grip, not daring to conceal anything further.

Before the Blood Phoenix's arrival, he had truly wanted to receive Li Mou into the Poison Dragon Academy — the Da Gong of inducting a divine-demon-class prodigy into the academy had moved his heart.

After the Blood Phoenix's arrival, Li Mou — who held the Eight Directions Token — he could no longer ignore either.

He had not been deceiving Li Mou. After learning of the Blood Phoenix's existence earlier, he had returned and immediately begun divination. The great ill omen was also true — but it was not only aimed at this realm, it included him as well!

A blood phoenix of the Evil God tier — once it flees into this realm, even if he carried several secret treasures and escape arts, there was absolutely no way he could escape alone.

"Within three days?!"

Li Yuan was instantly horrified.

"Within three days, this world will surely be burned to ash of tribulation!"

Huang Huang Longzi loosened his lips and, simply enough, stopped hiding anything, recounting to Li Yuan all the divinations he had cast, over a hundred hexagrams:

"This poor Daoist swallowed spirit pills one after another, aided by secret treasures, and cast a hundred hexagrams in a row — wherever the immortal's finger pointed was naught but ash of tribulation… The heaven-burning fire comes in two kinds: one is blood-red as blood, the other is a blazing gold color!"

"Two kinds…"

Li Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

"This fire, either comes from the blood phoenix, or — it's the Eight Directions Temple emerging ahead of time!"

Huang Huang Longzi sighed long and hard, cursing inwardly at those beasts in the Academy's Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, and said through gritted teeth:

"A hundred finger-pointings, ninety-nine of them all ash of tribulation — but there was that one time, although the sky was likewise filled with fire, it was different from those two previous kinds…"

"How was it different?"

Li Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

"That fire was ghastly white as ice — absolutely not the blood phoenix's fire!"

Huang Huang Longzi's face twitched, his heart aching as if wrung. He had secret treasures protecting his body; the ninety-nine divinations had not harmed his vital essence — it was this last one that had burned away nearly two hundred years of his lifespan.

"Ghastly white as ice!"

Li Yuan's expression remained unchanged as he asked for more details.

But Huang Huang Longzi shook his head. He had only glimpsed a corner and already burned two hundred years of lifespan — how would he dare look any longer?

Yet he believed this might well be the sole chance of survival.

……

……

Whooo—

On the grey stone platform, ghostly light flickered; the starlight from the Command Soldier Register illuminated the empty stone platform.

"If a man is not burdened by his form…"

The instant Li Yuan's consciousness entered the stone platform, he had already sensed the fluctuation from that ghastly-white divine fire. From the moment he had glimpsed the blood phoenix's aura, this fire had been extraordinarily restless.

Li Yuan was deeply wary of this fire. Over all these years, this was the first time he had seen anything that could still stir restlessly after entering the Command Soldier space.

"A faction even more ancient than the Origin Divine Dynasty."

Li Yuan murmured inwardly, pondering and mulling it over.

The Origin Era takes one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred years as one cycle; the Origin Divine Dynasty endured for seventy-two cycles — a number so vast he had no concept of it.

A faction more ancient than the Origin Divine Dynasty truly made his heart both tremble and yearn.

The ancient is not necessarily strong, but a faction that is ancient and has survived to this day must certainly possess a terrifying foundation beyond imagination.

"The fire Huang Huang Longzi glimpsed through the Immortal's Finger must be this fire. So, among the hundred-plus futures he saw, there was that one time I chose to release this fire?"

"What about the remaining ninety-nine times?"

Li Yuan did not dare think too deeply on this point, and continued to mull over the many possibilities after releasing this ghastly-white flame.

"After Dun Tian Zhou's metamorphosis, it has four great Heavenly Gang divine prohibitions. Among them, the blessing of the Flame Spirit can ward off all manner of flames — but can a single Heavenly Gang divine prohibition withstand this fire?"

Sensing the many divine prohibitions within Dun Tian Zhou, Li Yuan expressed doubt. Compared to the Flame Spirit, he leaned more toward another prohibition — 'Void Escape.'

This prohibition, originating from Dun Tian Zhou, once bestowed, could allow him to briefly flee into the void.

"There's too little information — there's simply no way to analyze it…"

Li Yuan's mind flashed with many thoughts, yet he unconsciously walked up to the bronze coffin. After a slight hesitation, he still bowed and saluted: "This junior is Li Yuan, requesting an audience with Senior."

Since the last time he had used the Five Dragon Immortal to refine the Tongshi Orb, he would come here to pay respects every few days, but most of the time there was no response — only a few times did he hear what seemed to be the bronze coffin spirit's cold snort.

"This junior is Li Yuan, requesting an audience with Senior."

Li Yuan bowed once more.

Whooo—

Inside the dim bronze coffin, the bronze coffin spirit carefully glanced at the slumbering Five Dragon Immortal, then looked with considerable disdain at the only figure it could clearly see in the darkness outside the coffin — the young man in a Daoist robe.

'This plague-brought brat — instead of thinking about how to break through the barrier, he comes to pester the Immortal Elder day after day…'

The bronze coffin spirit was very wary. In its former years in the Origin Treasury, it had interacted plenty with other Dao treasures and knew well the treachery of human hearts. It strongly suspected this brat's purpose in currying favor with the Immortal Elder.

Especially given that the Immortal Elder's impression of this brat was not bad, it was all the more wary.

"This junior…"

"Enough!"

Seeing Li Yuan would not relent, the bronze coffin spirit, fearing he might wake the Five Dragon Immortal, shot out a beam of divine light and drew him inside.

"This is the last time!"

The bronze coffin spirit warned in a low voice.

"Many thanks, Senior."

Li Yuan's heart relaxed, and he hastened to express his thanks.

"What business have you?"

The bronze coffin spirit's tone was displeased, thinking that if this brat asked it to do anything again, it absolutely must not agree. Last time, had the Immortal Elder not requested it, it would never have helped him communicate with the Grand Void Mirror.

"Does Senior know of those 'Ancient Sects' that have existed since before the founding of the Origin Divine Dynasty?"

"Hmm?"

Hearing Li Yuan's question, the bronze coffin spirit's tone shifted slightly, then immediately reined itself in:

"Where did you learn of the Weitian Dao Sect?"

Maintain the Heavenly Dao Sect?

Li Yuan's thoughts shifted, and he noted the key points.

"Senior, if I may return..."

Li Yuan answered respectfully, recounting everything he had learned from the Tongshi Orb—how the Holy Lands' Xuanjing Daozi had put bounties on the Blood Phoenix, how this evil god had suddenly appeared and confronted the Eight Directions Temple,

and how the God-Slaying involved an initiation ceremony for a sect called "Supreme Yellow Heaven"...

He only concealed the process by which he had obtained that pale divine fire, for it involved listening to the Heavenly Sound, and he could not leak a single bit of it.

"Supreme Yellow Heaven..."

The Bronze Coffin Spirit was silent for a long while before saying:

"You don't mean to tell me you still want to join the Maintain the Heavenly Dao Sect?"

Its voice carried neither joy nor anger, yet Li Yuan's heart skipped a beat. He did not know whether the fall of the Origin Divine Dynasty was connected to these ancient sects, but he never took risks.

"Naturally not."

Li Yuan shook his head in denial: "This junior is merely worried about his homeland. I hope Senior will offer some guidance."

"Mm..."

The Bronze Coffin Spirit paused, seeing the lad's face full of restraint, and could not help but shake his head inwardly, rebuking him:

"If you want to, then want to—what's there to deny? In this world, anyone who knows of the Maintain the Heavenly Dao Sect's existence, who wouldn't want to join it?"

"This junior truly has no such thought."

Li Yuan answered very cautiously.

"Given your talent, you do stand some chance of joining a branch of the Maintain the Heavenly Dao Sect, but since you have neither the power to slay an evil god nor the ability to offer a divine vanguard sacrifice..."

The Bronze Coffin Spirit was certain this lad must want to join the Maintain the Heavenly Dao Sect, but was too lazy to expose him:

"If you want to join the Maintain the Heavenly Dao Sect, it would require a true disciple of the Maintain the Heavenly Dao Sect to have fallen outside, and before dying, to have left behind a Guiding Divine Fire..."

"Guiding Divine Fire?"

Li Yuan's spirit jolted.

"What?"

The Bronze Coffin Spirit glanced at him: "Could it be that you have one?"

"Where would this junior have such a fortuitous encounter?"

Li Yuan lowered his head, his thoughts churning.

Before obtaining that pale divine fire, the Dao-protector of the Mysterious Dao Son had once mentioned that the parchment bearing this fire seemed to have been left behind after some existence had fallen...

"You need not be anxious. If that Blood Phoenix breaks through the realm, you just hide inside the coffin. Let alone that bird having lost my Fallen Dao, even if it hadn't died, it couldn't threaten you!"

The Bronze Coffin Spirit replied, already preparing to chase him away.

"This junior still has a question..."

Li Yuan hurriedly asked:

"Senior, suppose—suppose, just suppose—that I obtained a Guiding Divine Fire, how should I use it? Would it be dangerous?"

"Mm?!"

(End of this chapter)