Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 216-215 Nine-Turn Tower, Seasonal Treasures (One update today)
Li Cunxiao clearly felt that this time entering the secret realm was different from the past.

The first time I entered the secret realm was because I possessed a golden lotus, and Yang Ying used it as a dwelling and pulled me into the dragon boat.

Furthermore, he deliberately removed all obstacles along the way, allowing him to enter the third floor, Huizhen Pavilion, without any effort.

The second time they entered the secret realm was when Qici and Taiyi were searching for the core spirit of the dragon boat. He was protected by the Bone-Illuminating Mirror and had the Wind-Fire Wheels to make him invisible.

Because it was a familiar route, it ended without any major incidents.

But this time it's different.

Instead of the world spinning before your eyes, you're on a dragon boat in the next instant.

It's like falling into the sea, only to find yourself soaring through the clouds and plummeting towards another landmass.

"Is this... a dragon boat?"

The wind whistled in his ears, and Li Cunxiao could hardly believe his eyes.

Azure skies and layered clouds replaced the pitch-black night sky, and the vast expanse of heaven stretched to the horizon.

The original location of the dragon boat has been replaced by a vast complex of palaces.

The city was vast, with countless doors and windows, and covered walkways and intersecting windows. It was much larger than anything he had seen before, and even seemed comparable to the city of Songzhou.

Below the palace complex, hundreds of dragons soared and danced, their colors dazzling and auspicious, all guarding the central dragon that seemed to be hundreds or even thousands of feet tall, its body hidden in the clouds.

From a distance, it looks as if this giant dragon is supporting this magnificent celestial palace with its own strength, holding up the precious pavilions and towers high in the sky.

"Is this the true form of the Spirit Treasure? Are those dragons the small boats we saw before?"

That's an exaggeration!

The scene, like something out of a fairyland, overwhelmed Li Cunxiao's mind, and he was even momentarily lost in thought.

So, Emperor Yang of the Former Zhou Dynasty sat in such a heavenly palace, looking down upon all living beings.

If an emperor reaches this level, how is he any different from the Heavenly Emperor in mythology?

No wonder the Great Zhou Dynasty perished.

Such a thought flashed through his mind, and Li Cunxiao unleashed a burst of Flame-Mo True Qi from his feet, instantly halting his descent.

The twin wheels of wind and fire appeared, and the currents of wind and fire lifted his body, allowing him to fly more freely toward the magnificent palace complex.

He was already quite fast, but some people were even faster than him.

No, to be precise, they were five meteors—purple, blue, green, red, and black.

By observing their powerful auras, Li Cunxiao quickly recognized them as Zheng Lang, Yang Lingjun, Taiyi, Qici, and Qin Fengquan.

But unlike him, these five people did not have the chance to freefall.

Almost the instant these five meteors appeared, beneath the magnificent palace, the crimson dragon let out a long roar.

With this earth-shaking shout, a strong fluctuation erupted from different parts of the palace complex, and then the five people instantly disappeared into the air.

"It was teleported in? A magical treasure can even teleport grandmasters?"

Li Cunxiao was initially surprised, but then he remembered that the dragon boat had imprisoned Emperor Yang and his "loyal ministers" for hundreds of years, and he felt somewhat relieved.

If it weren't for such power, people wouldn't be so eager to acquire spiritual treasures.

The spirit's arrangement was likely to deal with the several demonic beings within its body.

"Junior Brother Li, Junior Brother Li?"

"Senior Brother Du?"

The message sent by the wild goose on his chest made a sound, and Li Cunxiao quickly flew towards it.

Sure enough, not long after, they saw Du Guanglei, who also had fiery wings on his back.

The latter saw him riding on his Wind and Fire Wheels, soaring through the air, their speeds almost identical, and his expression immediately became extremely complicated.

After the two landed, Du Guanglei couldn't help but ask:

"Junior Brother Li, the Wind and Fire Wheels on your feet seem to be divine weapons?"

"Yes, it was originally a magical artifact, but my master reforged it for me."

Li Cunxiao was quite frank, though he still had some doubts:
"Senior brother, don't you have a divine weapon?"

Du Guanglei's expression immediately became extremely interesting, and he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence:
“Divine weapons possess spirits and choose their own masters. Among the disciples of Louguan Dao, there are not many who can gain the recognition of divine weapons at the Heavenly Ladder Realm.”

"Compared to that, the Magic Treasure is much easier to control."

I understand, no.

Li Cunxiao could see the other party's predicament, and he gained a deeper understanding of Taiyi's arrogance.

“Senior brother, the structure of this palace has changed a lot since I explored it with Master. To be on the safe side, let’s start from the outermost edge and explore slowly inside.”

As he spoke, he recounted the situation of the Left Guard, the Valiant Guard, and other demons.

Du Guanglei listened attentively, and his gaze toward Li Cunxiao occasionally revealed a look of envy.

I can't help but be envious.

Judging from what the other party said, it was clear that this was not Li Cunxiao's first time visiting this secret realm, but he himself had only been informed of it at the last minute.

As for divine weapons, needless to say.

The name of Wind and Fire Wheels was already known to all the disciples of the Louguan Sect back when Li Qingtong was still alive.

The fact that Li Cunxiao was able to obtain this item is enough to show how much his martial uncle cherished him.

At the same time, he also understood that his entry into the secret realm this time, whether for exploration or for good fortune, had to take a backseat.

Protecting Li Cunxiao's safety is undoubtedly the most important thing right now.

Du Guanglei had no doubt that if his junior brother got even a scratch, he would be in deep trouble when he returned to Louguan Dao.

As he pondered, crimson true essence rose from his body, transforming into a Vermilion Bird that enveloped the two of them.

Li Cunxiao noticed that the Vermilion Bird's feathers were incredibly detailed, as if it were alive, and its eyes even seemed to gleam with a hidden spirit.

"Roar!"

I randomly chose a gate to enter, and soon I encountered the familiar human-demon guards.

However, the demon only had time to let out a cry before it was torn to pieces by the Vermilion Bird's claw.

Severed limbs and flesh are carbonized into ash under high temperatures; the whole process happens in the blink of an eye.

"Such a casual remark."

Li Cunxiao could tell that this attack was not even deliberately controlled by Du Guanglei, but rather the result of his true essence automatically protecting his body.

The gap between the Yellow Court Realm and the Heavenly Ladder Realm was actually greater than he had imagined.

However, Du Guanglei noticed Li Cunxiao's gaze and misunderstood.

He thought to himself that the other party had just broken through to the True Form realm and must want to test his skills, so he didn't pay much attention to that attack just now.

So the two continued deeper and soon encountered a group of Left Guards, among whom the fastest to charge was none other than a True Form Realm expert.

This time, Du Guanglei didn't make a move, but instead glanced at Li Cunxiao.

The latter immediately understood and stepped forward.

With each step he took, a pair of crimson arms grew from his shoulders and armpits. After four steps, Nezha's true form with three heads and eight arms was revealed.

"So skillful, without the slightest hesitation. It's hard to believe that he broke through to the True Form Perfection in just two months."

Du Guanglei knew from Li Cunxiao's true form that the outcome of this battle was a foregone conclusion.

The most difficult aspect of becoming a true master lies in maintaining one's true nature and not being corrupted or devoured by demonic thoughts.

But once this point is overcome, one can almost unleash the power of the true form at will.

The menacing fire serpents coiled and circled around Li Cunxiao, who held the Purple Flame Serpent Spear in one hand and a fire serpent in each of his other three hands, like six blazing whips.

The long whip danced, and the firelight roared.
With a tremor of the spear, the fiery inferno shattered.

The dozen or so demons were all killed in a few breaths, and the golden light on the vajra in his dantian visibly increased.

"What a great place!"

Li Cunxiao was secretly pleased, but considering that there would be further encounters later, he decided to keep his true form.

Anyway, his true energy is now like a flowing river, so this little bit of consumption is not a burden for him.

Furthermore, with Du Guanglei watching over them, they can more freely harvest the evil energy.

As they traveled, they occasionally encountered demons and humans. Most of the time, Li Cunxiao would take the lead, and Du Guanglei would only assist him when he was too busy to handle everything.

Even so, the latter became increasingly alarmed the more he looked at it.

The new disciple that Uncle Taiyi had taken in possessed such ferocity of true energy, such fervor of fighting spirit, and such formidable combat power that it was truly the most powerful he had ever seen in his life.

Even demons of the same level couldn't last five moves against him. He could even hold his own against the Left Guard Captain of the Sixth Realm Heavenly Ladder, at least ensuring his survival.

"The Heavenly Horse Soars Through the Void!"

With a shout from Du Guanglei, flames erupted from the magical artifacts resembling wrist guards and leg hangings on his hands and feet.

The silver fish-scale armor was covered with red leather, inscribed with talismans, and at the intersections, heart-shaped gemstones were inlaid.

The Vermilion Bird's True Essence shrieked, its wings folded, and flowed into its hands and feet. The next moment, four hooves emerged from it.

The fiery red-maned steeds galloped like hundreds of shooting stars, like a cavalry charge, rushing forward with a thunderous roar.

The demon who had just been chasing Li Cunxiao roared and howled, its dark true essence transforming into the form of a demon, wielding a horse-slaying sword and slashing wildly.

However, Du Guanglei's output was too fierce. Countless fiery steeds galloped and merged into a river. The Human Demon Captain only held out for a moment before being forced to retreat repeatedly.

"good chance!"

Li Cunxiao, who had been waiting for an opportunity to attack, suddenly had a bright look in his eyes. He grabbed the black dragon and the red snake with his four arms and combined them into a golden wheel above his head.

When the Demon Captain revealed a weakness, he threw out the golden wheel without hesitation.

The golden wheel was initially just a disc shape, but during its flight, Mount Sumeru and the vast oceans of the four continents condensed into it.

By the time it landed on the head of the Human Demon Captain, it had become like a small world of Yama. Taking advantage of the fact that the former was powerless to defend itself after being swept away by countless celestial meteors, it instantly and fiercely suppressed it!

With a muffled thud, the Heavenly Ladder warrior's body, as sturdy as gold and iron, instantly turned into a puddle of mud.

The light on the vajra soared, and when it finally came to a stop, three of the ten makara claws had already lit up.

Li Cunxiao was overjoyed. The harvest he had made in just a few hours was equivalent to a month's worth of hard work.

"Junior Brother Li, you were a bit reckless just now."

Unlike the former's joy, Du Guanglei was still somewhat shaken.

"Martial artists at the Heavenly Ladder Realm can already communicate with the external world through their own microcosm and condense true essence."

"Even if he can't achieve the same unity of heaven and man as a grandmaster, his combat power is already incomparable to that of the true form."

"Brother Du is right," Li Cunxiao thought, naturally having no complaints about his helpful assistant who had helped him get kills.

"However, this demon just now seemed a bit weak? Not to mention compared to my senior brother, even compared to the abbots of Tiangu Temple that I have seen before, he was much weaker."

"That's because this secret realm has been isolated from the outside world for a long time. In addition, although these demons are somewhat intelligent, they have lost their human intelligence and are therefore unable to actively condense true essence."

"A Heavenly Ladder warrior without true essence is like a tiger without claws and teeth, naturally much weaker."

Li Cunxiao seemed to be deep in thought. "What was that move you just made, Senior Brother?"

"It is a killing move that I created based on the star Sun Horse in the Seven Mansions of the Vermilion Bird. It is called Heavenly Horse Soaring Through the Void, or it can be called a thousand troops and ten thousand horses."

Du Guanglei revealed a hint of pride. As he fought his way through, he gradually figured out Li Cunxiao's strength and slowly regained his composure.

In terms of talent, he is probably no match for his junior brother, but the latter is too young, which means that there will be a gap between them in terms of experience and accumulation in martial arts.

Just like this move, "Heavenly Horse Soaring Through the Void," he integrated the seven constellations of Jingmu Han, Guijin Yang, Liutu Zhang, Xingri Ma, Zhangyue Lu, Yihuo She, and Zhenshui Yin.

It takes a lifetime of experience and twenty years of accumulation to develop such a deadly move, a true masterpiece.

"Junior Brother Li is too young; he has a long way to go. I was momentarily shocked and almost underestimated myself, my mind wavering."

'However, the martial arts used by Junior Brother Li, whether it's the Three Heads and Eight Arms technique or the Hellfire Serpent technique, are all Buddhist styles. Uncle Taiyi...'

The idea was quickly dismissed by Du Guanglei.

I am just a junior. The matter of teaching disciples is naturally for the elders of the sect to worry about. Why am I thinking about this?
"Since this place is guarded by a sixth-realm human and demon, there must be some precious items here."

Upon hearing this, Li Cunxiao glanced at the plaque of "Nine Turns Tower" and nodded.

Judging from the name, it seems to be a pill-making room?
Having witnessed what had just happened, Du Guanglei took the lead this time, sneaking through each room one by one.

Only after the search is completed and it is confirmed that there is no danger will Li Cunxiao be allowed to enter.

Unfortunately, the rooms outside were almost all empty, with various utensils for drying and grinding medicinal herbs scattered about.

"It is estimated that when Emperor Yang fled, it happened suddenly. Later, he and several of his confidants became possessed by demons and were then sealed in a secret realm by a magical artifact."

"Without external supplies, the elixirs and the like here have probably been devoured by the panicked Imperial Guards."

Since they were going to explore the secret realm together, Li Cunxiao naturally didn't hold back and told Du Guanglei all the speculations and information his two masters had gathered, which was why the latter was able to make these judgments.

"However, these tools are all made of refined gold. They are useful for both refining weapons and alchemy. Junior brother, you can take some."

Li Cunxiao's heart stirred, and he took out the jade pool that Taiyi Zhenren had given him from his bosom.

The spiritual liquid in the pool was completely used up when he advanced to his true form, so it was perfect for storing some miscellaneous items.

"With beams made of fine wood and embellishments of gold and jade, it is truly a testament to the wealth and resources of the former Zhou dynasty; it is indeed extravagant."

Even though Du Guanglei came from a major sect like Louguan Taoism, he couldn't help but exclaim in amazement as he delved deeper.

The sacred wood is Bodhi wood, which purifies the mind and clarifies the will;
The gold is pure gold, which will last for a thousand years;
Jade is the essence of earth and jade. Although it is called jade, it is actually the essence of copper and iron, and it needs to be refined by fire-working Taoist priests through hundreds of processes.

These palaces and pavilions directly exposed the vast wealth accumulated by the former Zhou dynasty to the two men.

Li Cunxiao initially took some refined gold, but later he became too lazy to pick it up anymore.

There must be even more precious treasures at the top of this Nine-Turn Tower.

"This room isn't empty! Junior brother, come quick!"

Du Guanglei's voice came from the room, followed by an added hint of surprise:

"Spring magnolia, summer cicada, autumn wild goose, winter snow plum are a complete set of seasonal spirits?!"

(End of this chapter)