Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 188, Letter 187: Plague
"In a few more days, the golden lotus will be ripe."

In the cave atop the flat-topped mountain, Taiyi gazed at the golden lotus buds, his expression like that of an old farmer about to harvest.

As Li Cunxiao gets closer to the completion of the Yellow Court, the time left for him becomes increasingly tight.

The Yellow Court Realm, with its twelve regular meridians and eight extraordinary meridians, is where true form is achieved when the meridians are connected.

The true form is the form of the true self. At first, the human and the demon were united, then the two hearts fought each other, and then the true self defeated the demonic self. The human emerged from the demon and became enlightened by the gods.

Once the true form is formed, the foundation is established and can never be changed.

Therefore, during this period, Taiyi couldn't even bother to cultivate a relationship with Li Cunxiao, and instead devoted himself entirely to Jinlian.

This golden lotus, though far less mystical than the legendary seven-treasure lotus, is a piece of cake for rebuilding the foundation.

During the process of dispersing one's energy, there is a conflict between spirit and demon, much like a collision of yin and yang. The entire process is extremely similar to the generation of true essence in the Heavenly Ladder Realm.

Li Cunxiao could then use this power to disperse his original form, Nezha, and cultivate true Taoist skills, with a foundation even stronger than that of a celestial being.

"The only question is, will Saburo be willing to switch to this major?"

Taiyi muttered to himself, feeling somewhat uncertain.

The longer he spent with Li Cunxiao, the more he realized that Li Cunxiao and Li Qingtong were two completely different people with vastly different personalities.

Although Li Qingtong was rebellious and unruly, she actually longed for him as her father, but she never received the response she deserved.

Li Cunxiao may appear respectful and obedient, but he is actually cautious and decisive, and is no longer a young man.

Taiyi had to admit that all those father-son games he had played before were just for his own amusement and to make up for his inner regrets.

He couldn't take it seriously, and Li Cunxiao certainly wouldn't.

The latter merely regarded it as an opportunity, and considered himself a fictitious being.

From this perspective, Qi Ci actually influenced Li Cunxiao in the present world in terms of cultivation and interpersonal relationships.

Thinking of this, Taiyi suddenly felt a sense of dejection.

Just then, a low growl of a blue lion suddenly came from outside the cave, but the voice did not contain any hostility, but was merely a warning.

As I strolled out of the cave, I saw a white crane circling in the sky.

Its body is a full ten feet in size, with black feathers as black as ink and white fur as white as snow. Its eyes are very lively, and it exudes an ethereal aura.

But when Taiyi saw this, he looked helpless. With a wave of his hand, the white crane landed, carrying a letter in its beak.

He took down the letter and casually pulled a pill from his sleeve, tossing it to the white crane.

The latter let out a joyful cry, swallowed the pill, and walked towards the green lion to the side with a rather arrogant gait.

"Let me go back?"

After quickly reading the letter, Taiyi frowned, his expression full of displeasure.

But after a moment, as if thinking of something, he finally sighed, turned the letter over, and used his hand as a pen to write it down in a few strokes.

"Take it back and give it to the headmaster."

The white crane was locked in combat with the blue lion. The latter, which clearly appeared to be the more powerful one, was now on the bottom, with several patches of mane missing from the lion's head.

The white crane cried out triumphantly a few times, flapped its wings and flew down, snatched the letter in its beak, and soared into the sky, quickly disappearing from sight.

"What a waste of all my good stuff, can't you win just once?"

Taiyi glared fiercely at the Green Lion, who looked very aggrieved and whimpered a few times.

"Stop yelling, it's annoying to hear. Go out and guard the door."

After dismissing the Green Lion, Taiyi returned to Pingdingshan and looked at the Golden Lotus in the cold pool, his thoughts in turmoil.

The letter just now didn't contain much; in short, it said that the world is in turmoil and warlords are vying for power.

The rebels were making preparations, and the central government certainly wouldn't sit idly by and wait for its demise.

Prime Minister Gao Pian recently met with the leaders of Qinglong Temple and Louguan Taoism, stating that both families had received the favor of the Qin Dynasty for generations, and now that the country was in peril, they should stand with the court.

Clearly, the strength of Zhu Quanzhong and Li Yisheng, along with the escalating rebellions of the Ming Cult and Huang Chao, had put the central government on edge.

Although both are sacred sects and their leaders are top-tier experts of their time, the imperial court has faced internal and external troubles for many years but has not yet collapsed, so naturally it also has top-tier experts who are loyal to the emperor and love the country.

Especially now that the emperor is young, the so-called prime minister is nominally an assistant, but in reality, he is a regent.

Louguandao is very close to the capital, and if a conflict breaks out between the two sides, it could easily escalate into a major war. Therefore, it is impossible for them to directly reject the court's request.

The Louguan sect is most famous for its elixirs, and Taiyi, as the most renowned alchemist in the sect, is naturally not immune to this.

"Are they so anxious that they're sending someone to urge me to return? It seems we can't delay any longer with Li Cunxiao."

"I've mastered another top-grade martial art. Where should I go to gather more malevolent energy?"

As dawn broke, Li Cunxiao pushed open the door of his study and walked towards the alchemy room.

He has mastered the three martial arts techniques: the Fiery Hellfire Spear, the Burning Wood Blade, and the Holy King's Revolving Fist. He is only one step away from perfection.

Now, having won the Immovable Black Dragon Sword from Master Huqiu in a gamble, the gap in his malevolent energy has widened once again.

But recently, no one has been able to enter the dream of the Eastern King Mu Gong. The golden ring seems to have lost all its divine power and become an ordinary object, which is puzzling.

Fortunately, Li Cunxiao had a good attitude. After all, the Burning Wood Knife, the Great Medicine of the Horned Wood Dragon, and even the Fire Wheel were all opportunities he had stumbled upon.

More or less, it's all a gain. It's certainly a pity that I can no longer obtain evil energy in my dreams, but the alchemical knowledge I've already acquired is genuine.

There are also some elixir formulas passed down by Dongwang Mugong, and the method of Samadhi True Fire, each of which is a priceless treasure.

"There are more and more missions coming up at the Black Market Fanlou. The more chaotic the world is, the better the assassins' business is. It's ironic." The young monks who were sweeping early in the morning saw Li Cunxiao and all bowed respectfully. The latter smiled and nodded. Looking up, he could already see the eaves of the alchemy room not far away.

"But speaking of which, what exactly is the golden dragon we found in Pingdingshan last time, and the wisps of black mist under the pool?"

"The malevolent energy attached to just one golden dragon can fill the Vajra Pestle twice. Could there be some great demon lurking at the bottom of the pool?"

"Could it be that Emperor Yang's dragon boat treasure..."

The thought had barely crossed my mind when it was rejected by reason.

Overthinking won't help. Let's find another opportunity to investigate further.

Whether there's a treasure or not doesn't matter. As long as I can fill myself with malevolent energy a few more times, when Huishan Temple sends over the manual, I can quickly master the Immovable Black Dragon Sword, even reaching a high level of proficiency.

"Senior Brother Yuancan? Head Abbot Decong? Senior Brother Yuanguang?"

Li Cunxiao strode into the small courtyard of the alchemy room. Unexpectedly, in addition to Yuan Shen, De Cong, who had been holed up in the alchemy room for nearly half a month, was also present.

The old monk's face was not looking good; he had probably ruined several batches of pills and was in a bad mood.

Yuan Guang, whom he hadn't seen for a while, looked apologetic and nodded to Li Cunxiao in greeting.

"Uncle-Master, there's no time to lose, please come with me to see Master immediately."

"Please come along with your two junior brothers as well."

Ok?
Li Cunxiao was puzzled, but he didn't ask any questions. He just secretly wondered what important matter required Yuanguang to personally invite Decong.

When he arrived at the meditation room, the scene was even more somber than he had expected.

Not only Dezheng, but also the heads of the other academies were all present; not one of them was absent.

"Now that everyone is here, I'll get straight to the point."

"An epidemic has broken out in Xiayi County. Governor Bai has already sent people to investigate and found that it was man-made."

"What?!!!"

The expressions of the chief ministers immediately turned grim, and they exclaimed in surprise one after another.

Daoyuan, the head of the Disciplinary Hall, was furious:
"It must have been the work of those Ming Cult scoundrels!"

Daoqing, who was about the same age as him, chimed in, "That's right."

"First, they spread the plague. When the disease breaks out, they come out to distribute medicine and treat patients. Then they pin the blame for corruption on the government and incite the people to kill officials and rebel."

"They use this tactic of embezzlement most often!"

Upon hearing this, Li Cunxiao couldn't help but glance sideways. These two abbots were a generation older than Abbot Dezheng and others, approaching one hundred years old.

When they were young, it was during those years when the regional military governors surrendered and then rebelled again, and the country was in constant turmoil.

It's probably because the scene evoked memories that he subconsciously thought of past events.

"My two senior uncles, please calm down."

After everyone had calmed down, Dezheng continued:
"This matter is of great importance and cannot be judged arbitrarily."

"In any case, Xiayi County is only seven days away from the prefectural city, making it extremely easy for an epidemic to break out."

"I have already discussed with Governor Bai that our Tiangu Temple should assist the government in distributing supplies, as well as reassuring the people and explaining the prevention and control methods."

"In addition, please have the Medicine King Academy work hard these next few days to refine several batches of antidote pills. The medicinal materials will be delivered from the government office later."

"Everything should be put first for the people."

When Dezheng said this, his expression was very serious. The usually kind and amiable old monk revealed the majesty of the abbot at this moment.

Everyone responded solemnly and then dispersed.

Only then did Qici's figure slowly appear inside the meditation room.

"Senior, do you think this time, the Ming Cult was behind it?"

"I'm pretty sure it's true."

The senior monk frowned, his expression grim, devoid of his usual cheerfulness.

"It is called a plague, but it is actually a poison. It first destroys the order of a place, and all the women, children and the old and weak die, leaving only the strong and healthy."

"At this point, administer the madness drug to turn them into a group of demons who obey orders, and wipe out the local government and local tyrants in one fell swoop."

"These are all old tricks of the Ming Cult."

Qi Ci's expression grew increasingly grim as he spoke, as if recalling some unpleasant past events, and he let out a cold snort.

"This is probably the Ming Cult's way of avenging their previous defeat and preparing to attack the gateway to the Eastern Capital. Nephew, keep an eye on Li Cunxiao for me. I'm afraid I have to leave for a while."

"You're going there in person?"

Dezheng was not surprised to hear this, and even secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

With the help of the other side, the casualties caused by this man-made epidemic will definitely be much smaller.

"Don't worry, I'm not going empty-handed."

"Since there is a master alchemist here, we should at least ask him to lend a hand."

Qi Ci chuckled.

"That old Taoist priest, he's probably waiting for me to come find him too."

(End of this chapter)