Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 260-269 The Northern Heavenly King's Greeting Gift
"Oh? I didn't expect Brother Li to know my humble name?"

The man in white robes grinned, as if it was a great honor for Li Cunxiao to know his name.

"To say that the twelve bodyguards under the Prince of Jin are of little renown would be an understatement."

Prince Li Yisheng of Jin rose from the northern desert. His father was originally the garrison commander of Yunzhou and the defense commander of Datong.

After two generations of accumulation, Li Yisheng, nicknamed "One-Eyed Dragon," rose to power and brazenly seized control of Hedong Road.

He campaigned eastward against the four towns of Hebei, westward against Longxi within the Great Wall, and southward against Zhu Quanzhong, the Prince of Liang. His name as the "Heavenly King of the North" resounded throughout the world.

The local warlords were known for their fierce and ruthless nature, but that did not mean there was no order.

Adoptive fathers and sons were an effective means for military governors to win people's hearts and control the army.

Of the twelve bodyguards under Li Yisheng, only the third, Li Cunxu, was his biological son. The other eleven bodyguards were all brave and fierce generals recruited during his campaigns.

Among them, the lowest level of cultivation was the Heavenly Ladder Realm, and the Grand Protector Li Siyuan was even a Grandmaster. He was regarded as Li Yisheng's right-hand man, and even the Hengchong Army was entrusted to him to lead.

'If Li Yisheng dies in the future, Li Siyuan and Li Cunxu will likely have to fight over the position of ruler of Hedong.'

'But it's hard to say. The higher a martial artist's realm, the longer their lifespan. Perhaps Li Yisheng could have sent both his biological son and adopted son away and still be alive.'

Li Cunxiao, lost in thought, took his seat with the other three.

Today, there are very few servants left in Li Siqi's courtyard, and they are all far away.

As the host, Li Siqi personally carried a wine pot and moved among the seats of the group.

It must be said that although Taiyi Zhenren disliked his disciple for being too cunning, the latter was indeed adept at handling interpersonal relationships.

It's impossible to say that Li Cunxiao had a particularly congenial conversation with Li Twenty-One and Shi Jingsi when they first met.

But Li Siqi was like a silver needle threading a needle; after several rounds of drinks, he managed not to utter a single word, and the banquet scene remained quite harmonious for a time.

"Brother Cunxiao," Shi Jingsi didn't care much about elegance when drinking. Even a martial artist like Xuan Guan could get drunk on Lanqiao Fengyue. He tilted his head back and downed three jars in a row, his face quickly turning red.

"I am not boasting, but among the warlords of the world today, my adoptive father, the Prince of Jin, is unmatched in sharpness except for Zhu Ba Hui."

Shi Jingsi's first words almost made Li Cunxiao burst out laughing.

The phrase "Zhu Ba Hui" is naturally a satire of the affair between Prince Liang, Zhu Quanzhong, and his daughter-in-law.

Bad news travels fast, and the private affairs of powerful people are always a topic of conversation among the common folk. But he had never seen anyone as outspoken as Shi Jingsi before.

After all, the brutality of the warlords was well-known, and ordinary people were wary of them. On the other hand, noble young men like Li Siqi usually spoke in roundabout ways.

In contrast, Shi Jingsi's straightforward and blunt personality is quite striking.

Of course, it was no secret that the Prince of Jin and the Prince of Liang had a feud, and Li Cunxiao had heard a secret story about it.

It is said that when Huang Chao first raised an army, he was suppressed by the imperial court. At that time, Li Yisheng led troops to defend the emperor. Zhu Quanzhong was originally a rebel, but he was quick-witted and promptly surrendered, transforming into an official army.

When Li Yisheng pursued Huang Chao's remnants to Bianzhou, Zhu Quanzhong deliberately refused to let him in, preventing him from achieving his goal.

Later, after Zhu Quanzhong took all the credit, he pretended to host a banquet to thank Li Yisheng, but Li Yisheng had no intention of playing along.

After getting drunk, he insulted Zhu Quanzhong in front of all the military commanders, which enraged the latter.

That night, a fierce battle broke out between the two sides, and Shi Jingsi, as Li Yisheng's personal guard, almost died there that night.

Later, Zhu Quanzhong established himself in Henan Province and wanted to expand northward, which naturally led to frequent conflicts with Li Yisheng. The conflict between the two sides is now irreconcilable.

"Now my father's army is full of talented people."

"The head of the Wang family of Taiyuan has long been in my adoptive father's staff, offering advice and strategies."

“Yuhua Temple, the ancestral temple of Esoteric Buddhism, had its abbot perform two secret methods to empower my father early on, bestowing upon him the title of Vaishravana, and even offering him a stupa containing relics with both hands.”

"The world is in turmoil, the court is in turmoil, and demons roam freely. Apart from my father, the Prince of Jin, who else can restore order to the land and restore order to the world?"

Whether Shi Jingsi was truly drunk or not, he was spouting nonsense, making Li Yisheng sound like a true heavenly king descended to earth, and that everyone else in the world was just a bunch of worthless idiots.

However, the fact that the Wang family of Taiyuan and Yuhua Temple sided with Prince Jin was not unfounded; the monk Qici had mentioned it unintentionally before.

The title of "Hegemon of Hedong" is no exaggeration.

Shi Jingsi's remarks clearly revealed a desire to win people over.

Leaving aside the importance of Louguandao's location for controlling the capital region, the fact that he was a true disciple of Li Cunxiao, especially as a disciple of Taiyi Zhenren, a master of alchemy, made his value immeasurable.

"The Prince of Jin recruited outstanding talents and won every battle; he was indeed a hero of his time."

After the former had spoken until his throat was dry, Li Cunxiao, who had been silent all along, finally reacted.

"However, I am merely a novice learner, possessing only a little knowledge of alchemy and divination."

"Furthermore, it is far away in the capital region, and the affairs of Hedong Province are too far for me."

Even if we knew, it would be beyond our reach.

Upon hearing this, Li Siqi couldn't help but raise her glass, pretending to drink, to hide the smile on her lips:

I know the Prince of Jin is very powerful, but I am also a true disciple of Louguan Dao, an alchemist under Taiyi.

If you've come all this way, just say what you need to say, don't just keep bragging!

"It seems I haven't been sincere enough," Shi Jingsi said, seemingly rough but not angry. He then looked at the Li family elder beside him.

"I heard that you have prepared a gift for Brother Cunxiao. May I take a look?"

“Of course,” Li Twenty-One smiled, his expression revealing a hint of respect, without a trace of the arrogance of a senior elder of a great clan.

"Nephew, I heard from Siqi that you've been collecting materials lately, preparing to forge a magical artifact?"

Upon hearing this, Li Cunxiao perked up, and a sense of anticipation rose in his heart for the treasures of the Longxi Li family.

"good."

"In that case, this is a small token of our clan's appreciation, and we hope you will not refuse it."

As the old man spoke, he called out, and a man dressed as a guard slowly walked over, carrying a tray in both hands.

Li Cunxiao's heart skipped a beat. Even from dozens of steps away, he could feel a scorching heat emanating from it.

After the guards put the items down and stepped back a few paces, Li Siqi lifted the tray and saw a pair of three-zhang-long dragon tendons on the black lacquered table.

These two tendons are amber in color, with a reddish interior like burning blood, and they even have the illusion of being soft and jelly-like.

However, when Li Cunxiao took a grip and squeezed hard, it felt as if he were squeezing a piece of fine steel.

With a shake and a flick, a muffled sound filled the air, and a wave of heat instantly swept over us. The Blue Bridge Romance wine in the glass on the table instantly burst into flames three feet high, and the wine evaporated completely.

"A seventh-tier fire dragon tendon?"

Li Cunxiao revealed a look of surprise. Originally, he planned to find a pair of sixth-order fire dragon tendons as the main material for refining the Dragon-Binding Rope, but the materials for seventh-order demons were really hard to find.

Humans are the most intelligent of all beings, possessing wisdom and the ability to connect with the universe through cultivation, hence the existence of Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters.

But demons are different. Their flesh and blood, and their supernatural powers, are all innate.

At lower levels, relying on its iron claws and steel teeth, it is difficult for martial artists to contend with it.
However, as time went on, the demons, whose minds were clouded and whose intelligence was low, were unable to cultivate and were gradually surpassed by the human masters.

As the art of demonic cultivation has developed to this point, countless demons have been killed by terrestrial immortals in their quest to refine divine pills and weapons.

Nowadays, demons of the seventh rank and above are rare. For example, the nine-headed lion under Taiyi was a seventh-rank beast that was raised by the old Taoist master using elixirs.

More importantly, Li Cunxiao was only famous for alchemy before, and had never produced a single weapon.

Although they had the divine skill "Nine Revolutions Flowing Pearl Nine Elixir Scripture" as a foundation, it's not uncommon for a debut to fail. In other words, the fact that the Li family of Longxi brought out such a pair of seventh-tier dragon tendons shows that they were prepared to throw it away, demonstrating their utmost sincerity.

"The elders' care for the younger generation is truly admirable, and I feel unworthy of their kindness."

As Li Cunxiao said this, he reached out with both hands and directly took the pair of dragon tendons into his storage magic treasure, along with the lacquer table.

Even if there's a knife in the meat, once it's in your mouth, you have to swallow it.

Besides, the relationship between Taiyi and the Li family of Longxi is now distant. As a direct disciple, I am undoubtedly an important link between the two sides. Is there any problem with accepting some benefits?

"Sanlang is a chosen one of heaven, and he shares the same surname and clan as us. We are all family, so how can we not help each other?"

When Li Twenty-One saw Li Cunxiao accept the gift, his face beamed like a golden chrysanthemum on the Double Ninth Festival, and Li Siqi did the same.

It's not that I'm afraid of Li Cunxiao being greedy, it's that I'm afraid of someone who has no

The Li family of Longxi already had enough of a solitary and eccentric genius like Taiyi Zhenren. They wished Li Cunxiao were more worldly and greedy, so that they could obtain him.

"Oh, so they are a pair of fire dragon tendons."

Shi Jingsi's tone was flat, even slightly disdainful, which inappropriately broke the atmosphere of family harmony.

Noticing the three people's gazes, he finally revealed a half-hearted, half-serious apology:

"Jing Si is a warrior and not good with words. He just happened to remember that before he left, his godfather had given him a gift to give to Cun Xiao and his brother."

The gift that Prince Li Yisheng of Jin gave me?

Li Cunxiao's heart skipped a beat, but before he could say anything, Li Twenty-One and Li Siqi beside him changed their expressions slightly.

It wasn't dissatisfaction, but rather a respectful demeanor tinged with expectation:

"May the general take it out and let us see it?"

"of course."

Shi Jingsi reached into his robes and pulled out a scroll about the width of a palm. He unfolded it, revealing a portrait drawn on it:
The young divine general wore a flaming crown, armor, and rode on auspicious clouds.

The demons under his command either waved flags and shouted encouragement, beat drums to cheer him on, raised their swords to slash and kill, or drew their bows to shoot arrows.

The Dragon King flew swiftly with his long body, turned his head and opened his mouth. In his panicked escape, an arrow struck his hind foot, and another arrow was flying toward his abdomen. Eight small dragons with heads but no bodies followed closely behind.

Li Cunxiao, having thoroughly studied Buddhist and Taoist scriptures, recognized it at first glance:

"This is... Nezha subduing the Dragon King Xiuji? His Highness Prince Jin gifted this painting... Hmm?"

His fingers brushed across the scroll, finding no difference on the seawater, the yaksha, or the divine general, until they touched the panicked and fleeing King Heshuji.

He bent and stretched his right hand, and it actually pierced through the ripples on the paper. His palm landed on the horns of Xiuji Dragon King, and he actually felt a solid touch.

Li Cunxiao's expression changed instantly, but Shi Jingsi suddenly closed the scroll and smiled slightly:
"How about it, is this gift novel enough?"

Fresh?

Li Cunxiao lowered his head slightly and saw that the crimson-gold dragon blood in his right palm, which he had just withdrawn from the scroll, seemed to be burning, releasing a burning pain that made him feel as if he were being scalded.

It's not just fresh, it's absolutely raw!

"Gentlemen, may I speak with Brother Li alone for a few minutes?"

Shi Jingsi tied the scroll up and glanced at the other two. Li Siqi and the clan elder immediately understood and left the pavilion, but their eyes never left the place.

“Brother Li, the world is in turmoil these days, and there is no pure land. Even the great Louguan Dao cannot escape its influence.”

"In fact, Louguandao is now the first to bear the brunt. Brother Li's position cannot allow him to retreat; he can only think about advancing and adapting."

"To gain true friendship, one must treat others with sincerity. Reflecting on today, I have a few heartfelt words to share with Brother Li."

Li Cunxiao gave this rough-looking man a deep look. Although the man was deliberately pretending to be reckless, he was no longer pretending at this moment.

Just as he was wondering how the other party would explain the advantages and disadvantages, the first sentence uttered sent a huge shock through Li Cunxiao's heart:

“My father, the Prince of Jin, has become a terrestrial immortal.”

Seemingly completely unaware of the significance behind this matter, Shi Jingsi calmly uttered the next sentence:

“Prince Qi, Li Zhengchen, has submitted to my father and is willing to serve him like a dog or a horse. From now on, Hedong and Longxi will be one family.”

These two sentences were transmitted telepathically, and Li Siqi and the other person did not know what Shi Jingsi said. They only saw Li Cunxiao's pupils contract and dilate, which clearly indicated that he had been greatly shocked.

“Under the throne of Vaishravana are five princes and eight Yaksha generals. My father wished to emulate them and sought another person to be the thirteenth protector.”

Shi Jingsi placed the scroll on the table and bowed to Li Cunxiao:
"Please do not refuse this gift. My godfather said it is also to thank Master Qici for his help last time."

"A good bird chooses a good tree to perch on, and a good minister chooses a good lord to serve. Heroes emerge in times of chaos, Brother Li, you should think this through."

Having said that, he left laughing without waiting for Li Siqi and the other to ask any questions.

When Li Siqi and the clan elders turned around, they saw Li Cunxiao holding a scroll in his hand, his expression uncertain.

After a few polite words, the latter took his leave and headed straight for Miaoyan Palace.

Throughout the journey, only a few words kept jumping around in my mind.

No wonder!
"No wonder! I was wondering why the two armies, which were originally facing each other, suddenly shook hands and made peace. It turns out that Li Yisheng has become a Grandmaster!"

"With the power of a Grandmaster, who controls the Lingbao Relic Pagoda of Yuhua Temple, the ancestral home of Esoteric Buddhism, how dare Li Zhengchen confront him?"

"Guannei Road is now in Li Yisheng's hands, so the Li family of Longxi naturally has to do everything they can to curry favor with him."

With his thoughts in turmoil, Li Cunxiao only managed to calm himself down when he saw the familiar figure of Taiyi Zhenren.

"I heard that someone from your clan met with you today?"

"Yes, and the Eleventh Protector under Prince Jin, Li Yisheng, also sent me a generous gift."

Upon hearing this, the old Taoist priest looked up in surprise and saw his disciple take out a scroll, gently push it on the white jade floor tiles, and it was immediately revealed.

Taiyi Zhenren immediately stood up, leaned forward to examine it closely, his expression gradually shifting from surprise and doubt to solemnity, and finally, after a moment of silence, he let out a sigh:
"What a generous gesture."

As soon as he finished speaking, he lowered his hand, and his whisk, like a large brush, swept across the painting of Prince Nezha subduing and Xiuji Dragon King.

Suddenly, Li Cunxiao heard the sound of the ocean waves and smelled a strong salty and bloody odor.

The next moment, accompanied by a long dragon roar, a blood-stained black dragon soared into the sky from the scroll, its golden eyes raging with bloodlust, and its enormous head was comparable to a house.

Layers of armor instantly appeared on Li Cunxiao's body, and the Azure Phoenix transformed into a helmet. The intense aura of danger made him unable to resist reacting immediately.

But suddenly a strange change occurred in the black dragon.

Starting from below the head, a crack shimmering with golden light suddenly appeared, piercing through the chest and abdomen, tearing through the massive dragon's body.

It was as if an unseen butcher was guarding the place, raising his knife the instant the black dragon left the painting, and precisely slicing it open.

For every foot the black dragon's body emerged, the flesh and blood in the cracks burned for another foot.

When the black dragon's body, which was nearly thirty feet long, had completely flown out, its scales and fur were now completely empty, and it finally turned into a complete horned dragon skin, which landed in front of Li Cunxiao.

Those dazzling golden eyes seemed to be watching the two people in front of them, silently telling a story.

The armor plates transformed into feathers and dissipated from Li Cunxiao's body. He stared at the scene before him, his throat dry.

"A seventh-tier dragon was sealed inside a scroll at the moment of its death?"

"Indeed fresh, indeed, a grand gesture."

(End of this chapter)