Great Red Immortal Sect

Chapter 374 Rest
The Sea of ​​No Wonder.

The sea is a deep blue, with volcanoes standing tall, spewing and pouring lava onto the sea surface, where it solidifies into large patches of dark rocks. Few creatures inhabit the sea.

At the very center lies a beautiful sacred mountain, abundant with rare flowers and fragrant herbs, orchids and jade trees, where a gentle breeze wafts. At the summit, a white jade Taoist palace stands, with the faint scent of elixirs wafting through the air.

As silver lightning rose, Xu Xuan stood on a cloud, slightly releasing his aura. He summoned a talisman in his hand, which emitted light from the heavenly lightning. It was a token given to him by Zhou You.

Below, a fire-tending boy rose up on the wind, carrying a green gourd on his back and holding a fan in his hand. He was quite clever, but he was not human; his true form was a fire-swallowing red fox.

This demon had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Riding on a red cloud, he first respectfully bowed to Xu Xuan.

“Little demon [Tianxin] greets the immortal. My master is still refining pills and cannot leave. Please, immortal, come into the mountain.”

The boy glanced at the talisman Xu Xuan had unleashed, his expression becoming even more respectful. It was related to the Upper Heaven Immortal Path, so this was no ordinary rogue cultivator.

'Tianxin, what a strange name. And to call him Master, what's this?'

Xu Xuan felt a little strange, but it was normal for the Purple Mansion to have some quirks, so he followed the boy down the wind and landed on the peak, until he arrived in front of the White Jade Dao Palace.

The plaque was jet black with gold characters reading "Dou Tian" (meaning "Reaching the Heavens"), exuding an ancient feel. Tian Xin, carrying his green gourd and holding a palm-leaf fan, walked to the front of the hall and respectfully called out:

"Master, master, our distinguished guest has arrived."

"Fellow Daoist, please come in. I cannot leave now." A slightly weathered voice came. Xu Xuan entered the hall, and the first thing that caught his eye was a red bronze alchemy furnace. Its shape was very different from that of the Li Kingdom, and it was based on the true form of the Eight Trigrams.

Beside the bronze furnace stood a young man in black robes. His features looked quite young, but his hair and beard were all white, and his eyes were full of vicissitudes. He was urging the spiritual fire to refine the medicinal properties in the furnace.

"Who is Taoist Fellow Taoist?"

He was too busy to leave at that moment, so he turned to ask a question, his voice sounding quite old.

"Da Li, Xu Xuan, Daoist name Bijie, senior."

Xu Xuan spoke up, noting that the Daoist before him was much older and at the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm, so addressing him as "senior" was quite appropriate.

"Sigh, don't call me senior, just call me fellow Daoist. Once you enter my True Palace, we're all here to do business, so there's no need to distinguish between seniors and juniors."

Pingxiu put away the spiritual fire, looked at Xu Xuan, and after a brief examination, his brows furrowed.

"Fellow Daoist Bijie cultivates the Earthly Thunder?"

"Exactly."

Xu Xuan saw their surprise and understood. Most of the immortals in the Li Kingdom knew their own name, but in the Western Sea, they probably didn't know that there was such a She Lei Zi Fu.

"Tsk, how rare! The last time I saw a cultivator of this kind was when the Kunlun Qilin came down the mountain."

Pingxiu waved his robe and walked slowly over, his gaze obscure. With a wisp of magical light, a white jade table and chairs appeared. The two sat down, and Tianxin quickly stepped forward to massage Pingxiu's legs.

Xu Xuan remained calm, but inwardly he felt a bit resentful. This alchemist didn't seem to possess any supernatural powers; instead, he seemed more like an ordinary wealthy merchant, and his words and actions were quite mercenary.

"I wonder what kind of elixir Fellow Daoist Bijie wishes to refine?"

Pingxiu looked on with a smile, his eyes brightening slightly. He had clearly done a lot of business and had figured out why these Purple Mansions had come here.

"I'm not here to refine pills." Xu Xuan hesitated for a moment before speaking directly, "I've come to ask if you have any Purple Mansion True Fire that I wish to exchange for."

"Ok?"

Pingxiu was taken aback upon hearing this, but he hadn't expected the other party to have come to his door for this matter. He simply replied:
"I'm refining pills at home and need fire right now. Where can I trade for some? However..."

He paused, looked at Xu Xuan, and smiled:

“You were introduced by the Immortal Dao of Shangxiao, so you are a distinguished guest and we can have a chat. If you were an ordinary True Person, I would certainly not allow it.”

"I wonder what use you have for this fire, my friend?"

When asked about the reason, Xu Xuan naturally did not want to tell him everything. After just this one encounter, he understood that this Master Pingxiu was a complete old fox.

If the reason given for repairing someone's physical body is revealed, and it involves life and death, the other party can then negotiate a higher price.

“There is a disciple in the sect who has reached a critical point in his cultivation and needs this item.”

His words were vague, and ordinary people would assume that he was trying to break through to the Purple Mansion realm but lacked a spiritual object. Pingxiu nodded slightly upon hearing this but did not ask any further questions, clearly indicating that he had already made up his mind.

"In my place, there is a Dao [Great Flame Combined Fire], which is formed by combining the properties of Bing and Ding. I obtained it from the fire cave a few years ago. It took a lot of effort and I was seriously injured to obtain this spiritual object."

After a moment of reflection, Xu Xuan understood that the other party's asking price was certainly not low, and simply said in a deep voice:
"Fellow Daoist, please speak frankly. What kind of spiritual item do you desire? If I have it, I will certainly offer it to you."

“Good, Fellow Daoist Bijie is efficient.” Pingxiu turned his gaze and said, “The three Purple Mansion spiritual objects of the same level must belong to the Five Virtues, and one of them must be Purple Mansion Yuan Wood.”

"Motoki?"

Xu Xuan was slightly surprised when he heard about the three Purple Mansion Spiritual Objects, but he could still afford them. He could make up the cost by dismantling the spiritual artifacts that Dongfang Guangxu had taken off, not to mention the spiritual objects that would be obtained after refining the spiritual artifacts on Huanyu and Tan'e.

He is now a True Person who has plundered two Golden Core forces, and his wealth is immense. However, it is somewhat unreasonable for the other party to want this Yuan Wood.

Upon careful consideration, Xu Xuan realized that the only Yuanmu spiritual object he had ever seen in his life was Dongfang Che's [Jianmu Yuanzhi], which was extremely precious and whose vitality was the best among all the Dao.

That single [Jianmu Yuanzhi] is probably no less valuable than the Purple Mansion True Fire, not to mention the other spiritual items. Pingxiu's offer is not just asking for the moon, it's an astronomical price.

"Fellow Daoist is joking. Primordial Wood is extremely rare in the world, surpassing even water, fire, and thunder. Where am I supposed to find it? Could I possibly exchange it for spiritual objects from other Daoist traditions?"

He replied calmly, but Pingxiu shook his head and sighed, looking slightly disappointed.

"In that case, fellow Daoist, please return. If you wish to refine any pills, we can discuss it further. As for this True Fire, I only wish to exchange it for Yuan Wood spiritual items."

Seeing his decisiveness, Xu Xuan decided not to discuss it further. For now, he could only look at the few fire pits left behind by the Dragon Palace to see if there was any chance of obtaining it.

He then stood up, bid farewell to the alchemist, thanked him for his hospitality, and said that he would definitely visit again if he needed to refine pills in the future.

Pingxiu escorted him out of the palace. Seeing the other party break through the void and about to ride the thunder, he sensed a faint, sharp aura. His eyes narrowed, and he spoke:
"Fellow Daoist, please wait, there is still room for discussion."

Xu Xuan stopped and turned around, only to see the alchemist step forward and smile:
"Fellow Daoist, have you cultivated sword intent?"

"Exactly."

Xu Xuan had never expected Ping Xiu to change his expression so quickly. It was only because he had revealed a bit of his sword intent that he saw the alchemist's face light up with joy.

"Why didn't you say so earlier, fellow Daoist? Since you are a sword immortal, then we can discuss this."

"May I ask, fellow Daoist, how many supernatural powers have you cultivated so far?"

"I've only mastered one path and am about to break through," Xu Xuan frankly told him. Ping Xiu was slightly taken aback, but still smiled and said:
"That's enough, that's enough. If you're willing to step forward and join me in slaying a demon, I won't ask for the Yuan Wood spiritual item in exchange for the Purple Mansion True Fire. You can exchange it for just two spiritual items."

Pingxiu's price was reasonable; both Bing Fire and True Fire were rare commodities, and this was a concession. Xu Xuan, however, didn't immediately agree. Instead, he lowered his gaze slightly and asked:
"I wonder which demon you intend to kill? Fellow Daoist's alchemy skills are superb; you should have no shortage of people willing to help. Why must you seek me out?"

“It is a precious golden spirit elephant, named [Sheni].” Pingxiu’s gaze darkened slightly. “This demon is at the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm. I have asked people to help it many times, but it has always managed to escape.”

"This demon possesses a secret treasure that allows it to travel freely throughout the Western Sea's vast emptiness without hindrance. It often uses this wondrous ability to escape, making it difficult to capture."

"This demon is extremely greedy and violent. When I was away visiting friends, it used a secret treasure to break the great formation in my mountain, ate a batch of my pills, chewed up two of my fire- tending boys, and even overturned my pill furnace."

"Tell me, where can this feud be resolved?"

"To be able to roam freely in the Western Sea, one must indeed possess some skill."

Xu Xuan's heart stirred slightly. The Western Sea Void was filled with the nature of extreme fire, which would hinder movement and cause it to explode if one was not careful. The secret treasure in the hands of this demon was indeed powerful.

"That's right, that's why we need you to take action. Your sword intent can penetrate into the void, so even if this demon tries to escape, we can still catch up."

Pingxiu lowered his voice slightly and continued:
"This demon has harmed many cultivators. Now there are still two fellow cultivators, both at the early stage of the Purple Mansion realm, who want to kill it as soon as possible. However, that secret treasure is too powerful for us to capture."

“We even invited the Immortal Zhouyou from Shangxiao to suppress it with a spiritual treasure, but it still managed to escape. This [Sheni] is also a scourge of our Western Sea.”

"If that's the case, I will not refuse. I will join forces with you to slay this demon."

Xu Xuan's voice became firm, but he asked:

"But when will we begin the exorcism?"

"This demon is elusive and hasn't moved an inch in all these years. It's probably afraid. But we have some clues. In a few years, we should be able to find it."

Pingxiu spoke with certainty, but Xu Xuanke found it difficult to speak. It was indeed a bit late. He didn't know how many years that was, and considering the time spent catching the demon, it would take a lot more time.

"I am willing to do my best to kill this demon, but I have one request, and I hope Fellow Daoist Pingxiu will grant it."

"What is it, Sword Immortal? Just say it directly."

"May I exchange this true fire first? My disciples urgently need it. After you receive the news, please send me a message and I will come. By then, I should have also cultivated the second supernatural power."

Pingxiu paused briefly, looked at the person before him, and nodded, saying:

"Fellow Daoist was guaranteed by the Shangxiao Immortal Sect, so I naturally trust you. This [Great Flame Fusion Fire] is yours for exchange."

As he spoke, Pingxiu flipped his hand and summoned a spiritual fire, shaped like a crimson pill with eight trigrams and mysterious patterns on it. It shone with divine light and rose with bursts of true red flames, which was the [Great Flame Fusion Fire].

It possesses the properties of both Bing and Ding, making it an extremely rare spiritual fire. Xu Xuan accepted it and nodded slightly. At this moment, he took out two spiritual objects: one was the [Winter Thunder Sinking Yuan] of Xiao Lei, and the other was the [Spiritual Moistening Soil] of Ji Tu.

It was taken directly from Dongfang Guangxu's spirit armor. After being cleansed by Xuanqi, it was indistinguishable from the one that had just been produced, and no one could tell the difference.

Pingxiu took it, sensed it briefly, and said:

"This is indeed a spirit item of excellent quality. This [Winter Thunder Sinking Essence] is probably produced by the Upper Heaven Immortal Sect?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Xuan simply smiled, letting Pingxiu guess as he pleased, knowing he couldn't possibly guess it was Dongfang Guangxu.

Having now obtained the [Great Flame Fusion], Xu Xuan and Ping Xiu swore an oath, exchanged tokens, and agreed on a method of communication, all in anticipation of slaying demons together in the future.

After leaving the Boundless Sea, Xu Xuan found no one around, so he broke through the void and tried to walk. However, after only a short while, he was bombarded out by black fire and was in a sorry state.

'The closer one gets to the sea, the more intense the remaining supreme fire in the void becomes.'

His mind stirred. If that were the case, then the secret treasure in [Sheni]'s hand should be an extremely rare spiritual artifact, allowing her to move freely in the void of this place without any hindrance.

"If we could obtain it, it would be a tremendous help. The Western Sea will be a crucial place in the future. The arrival of the Chaos Gods is where the opportunity lies. To be able to move freely in the void here is probably only possible for those in the late Purple Mansion stage or members of immortal sects."

He rode the wind away, leaving only a streak of silver lightning in the sky. Now that he had some free time, he should return to the mountain to complete his second supernatural power; there was no time to delay.
-
Sindhu, the Southern Peacock Kingdom.

Inside the gilded and jade-adorned palace, peacocks flitted about, their colorful tails swaying and shimmering with light. Around them, several handsome young men and women knelt respectfully, serving these demons.

Inside the palace, five-colored light flowed, and on the main seat sat a young man dressed in immortal cultivator's robes, wearing a colorful robe and a brocade crown. His face was noble, and he gently waved a five-colored feather fan in his hand.

Below was a dark-skinned man with a sharp face and a slender figure, dressed in a bright red robe that completely concealed his body.

"According to you, you escaped from the Demon Refining Tower in the Li Kingdom?"

"Exactly."

The man with the extremely dark complexion smiled slightly and said in a low voice:
"When the country was first established, I took over the Demon Refining Tower. My remnant souls and the remains of a group of demon race predecessors were imprisoned there. After escaping, I wandered all the way to Shendu. I heard of the reputation of the Demon King Kong Xuan and came here."

"In that case, I shall address you as a fellow Daoist, Bao Chi?"

Kong Xuan, seated on the throne, spoke in a peaceful tone, yet his voice carried a chilling undertone that sent a shiver down Bao Chi's spine.

"I am only at the Foundation Establishment stage now, how dare I presume to call myself your fellow Daoist? I have only heard of your illustrious name and, remembering that we are both of the Feather Clan and have suffered persecution from the Great Li, I have come to seek refuge with you."

Bao Chi's voice sounded quite respectful, for he had no choice in the matter. The demon king Kong Xuan in front of him was a true mid-stage Purple Mansion cultivator, and he also had a brother who held a position in Sumeru.

As a Bifang, he was only at the early stage of the Purple Mansion realm in his previous life and was captured and imprisoned in the Demon Refining Tower at a young age. How could he compare to the great demon who had established a country?

Not to mention his true background: the Great Asura [Covering Barrier], a true master of supernatural powers, who overwhelmed India, with only a handful of people comparable to him.

"Since you wish to join my Southern Peacock Kingdom, I am willing to accept you. In terms of magnanimity, I am far more magnanimous than all the immortals of the Great Li Kingdom."

Kong Xuan lowered his gaze slightly, pondered for a moment, and seemed to have made up his mind. He simply smiled and said:
"You were once a member of the Purple Mansion, and your knowledge is still there. There is a task I need you to do. If you do it well, I will grant you the position of Vajra."

"King Kong?"

Bao Chi's voice faltered. If it were his previous life, he would naturally look down on him. As the essence of true fire, he had the potential to cultivate to the late stage of the Purple Mansion realm. How could he possibly look down on a mere Vajra?

But now, with his life completely gone and only a fragment of his soul remaining, residing in this human body, he possesses only the abilities of the peak Foundation Establishment stage. However, the Vajra position is of great significance.

"Whatever Your Majesty needs, Bao Chi will do his utmost."

"Hehe, it's not a difficult matter. You're new to our country, and your face is still unfamiliar. You're perfect for handling matters at sea and helping me out."

Kong Xuan's voice trailed off, a hint of coldness creeping in.

"I inquired about several immortal sects and also learned about a Purple Mansion [Golden Elephant]."

Upon receiving the order, Bao Chi slightly raised his head and saw that Kong Xuan's eyes were full of killing intent, whether it was directed at the Immortal Path or at the Golden Elephant.

(End of this chapter)