Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 261-270 Refining Treasures, Undercurrents

"Master, what kind of storage magic treasure can hold living creatures inside?"

The enormous dragon skin exuded a strong aura of malevolence; without close inspection, one might even mistake it for a living black dragon.

"Magic Treasure? No."

With a sweep of his whisk, Taiyi's emerald green true essence enveloped the thirty-zhang-long dragon skin, and the remaining golden dragon blood on it immediately converged towards the dragon's horns.

"This scroll is just an ordinary scroll."

what?
Li Cunxiao quickly picked up the now empty scroll from the ground, examined it carefully, and was shocked once again.

As Master Taiyi said, this is nothing more than a scroll made of silk, of decent quality, containing some demonic fur materials, but it is far from being a demonic treasure.

Not to mention, it pales in comparison to the exquisite pagoda, a divine weapon of the immortal Taiyi Zhenren.

The old Taoist priest possessed three divine weapons: the Qiankun Bow, the Bone-Illuminating Mirror, and the Linglong Pagoda. Some of these weapons were inherited from the sect leader of the Azure Dragon lineage, while others were acquired by Taiyi Zhenren after spending most of his life's savings, and were specifically used to hunt demons.

But now, Li Yisheng can actually seal a seventh-order dragon with just a silk scroll?

The dragon was even stuck on the verge of death, as if the scroll's owner had planned it all out, ensuring that the recipient would immediately peel off the dragon's skin from its wounds upon opening the gift.

Such actions can be seen as thoughtful, or as a silent deterrent.

"It seems that Li Yisheng has broken through to the Grandmaster realm, isn't that right?"

Taiyi Zhenren's words seemed like a question, but in fact he was quite certain.

"Yes, that's what Shi Jingsi, the Eleventh Bodyguard, told me. Master, do you mean this is entirely the work of a Grandmaster?"

"Have you forgotten how that Ming Cult heretic, Jingfeng, was captured?"

A thought flashed through Li Cunxiao's mind: the image of Yan Daotong wielding Yin and Yang and effortlessly capturing Xuan Guan martial artists appeared in his mind and transformed into a flash of inspiration.

"Is this also a method of applying the 'dojo'?"

“Not bad,” Taiyi nodded. Under his control, the true essence peeled away from the dragon skin inch by inch, finally transforming into a palm-sized sphere. In the center was a thumb-sized golden bead of dragon blood, radiating scorching heat.

After being cleansed by true essence, the dragon skin shrank from thirty feet to one foot, and lightly landed on Li Cunxiao's shoulder.

"The Grandmaster embodies the laws of Heaven and the imagery of Earth, revealing his inner vision to the outside world. He dominates a region, and within a small space, there is a hidden paradise."

"It is not difficult to imprison someone below the level of a Grandmaster in a short period of time."

"In a sense, the secret realm of Lingbao can be said to be the ultimate goal of every grandmaster."

The Spirit Treasure Realm, a world unto itself? A world unto itself?

Wouldn't that make one a true immortal?

Li Cunxiao's thoughts came to an abrupt end there. This idea was too lofty, and he, who was only at the Heavenly Ladder Realm, could hardly imagine such a realm.

Unconsciously, his fingers stroked the black dragon's horn on his shoulder, feeling a volcano-like heat within it, and even having the illusion that the black dragon was still breathing.

"This dragon hide is of extremely high quality; it would be excellent even as a main material for a divine weapon."

"Li Yisheng's management of the stupa shows he is exceptionally wealthy and powerful."

When Taiyi Zhenren said this, his tone was somewhat sour.

After all, his exquisite pagoda was originally made by imitating the Lingbao Relic Pagoda, and its function was limited, so it could only be used as a 'fresh' warehouse.

Unlike the Lingbao Relic Pagoda, which is one of the most precious treasures of the Esoteric Buddhist sect and is said to be an incarnation of the divine body of Vairocana Buddha, it is the most revered and invincible treasure of the Dharma.

He claimed to have subdued all demons and monsters and commanded all heretics.

"The three ancestral temples of Esoteric Buddhism were founded by the three great masters: Subhakarasimha, Vajrabodhi, and Amoghavajra."

"Now only Qinglong Temple in Xijing and Yuhua Temple on Wufeng Mountain in Xinzhou, Hedong, still have Lingbao."

"Qinglong Temple is in charge of the Vairocana conch shell, and Yuhua Temple is in charge of the stupa containing the Buddha's relics."

"With the help of this pagoda, Li Yisheng subdued many demons and monsters as his servants, just as the World Honored One subdued heretics. Many of his cavalrymen rode strange beasts, and their military might was invincible."

After listening to Taiyi Zhenren's explanation, Li Cunxiao's turbulent emotions gradually calmed down, and he began to weigh the pros and cons.

First and foremost, we must collect the dragon skin.

The world is in turmoil, with undercurrents surging but not yet released. Once they erupt, they will cause catastrophic disaster, from which no one can escape.

There are only those who hate the lack of power, but no one who throws away the power they have.

Secondly, with the Qin Dynasty now in its twilight years, most of the contending heroes have the support of local sects and holy lands, and everyone is aiming for the next millennium holy land. The awkward situation of Louguan Taoism, as the state religion, is self-evident.

It's impossible to remain uninvolved, and escaping unscathed will likely be difficult. If we don't prepare a way out in advance, we might end up with everyone perishing together.

As a disciple of Taiyi, Li Cunxiao and his master were both renowned in alchemy, one famous throughout the world and the other with a promising future, both of whom would be welcomed wherever they went.

After all, when heroes vie for supremacy, isn't it ultimately a contest of who has the best people?
For martial artists to cultivate, they cannot do without elixirs and alchemists; this is a simple and easy-to-understand principle.

At this time, Li Yisheng's gift was both timely and appropriate.

"Since the Prince of Jin is so generous, I cannot be stingy."

"Take these Twenty-Four Qi Pills to Shi Jingsi. Don't be impolite."

"Yes," Li Cunxiao accepted the pill without saying anything more, and the master and disciple tacitly skipped over the topic.

"What stage have you reached in your cultivation of the Nine Revolutions Flowing Pearl Nine Elixir Scripture?"

"Reporting to Master, a few days ago, I was able to complete the sixth stage of the elixir."

"A sixth-grade spirit pill? You've mastered the divine skill so quickly? It took me ten years back then, cough."

Upon hearing this, the old Taoist priest was both surprised and pleased, and also somewhat unsurprised.

This apprentice has given him so many surprises that a year has passed and he's become somewhat numb to it all.

Now, even if Li Cunxiao told him that he was about to break through the barrier in front of him, he wouldn't be surprised.

"In that case, I can let you try to refine a high-grade magic treasure. With me watching over you, this dragon hide won't be ruined."

"In that case, I still need to inform your sect leader about Li Yisheng's matter."

"There must be quite a few low-grade magic treasures in the dragon boat, right? In the next few days, you can practice with a few low-grade magic treasures. Once you're ready, I'll help you refine the Dragon-Binding Rope."

"Thank you, Master."

Li Cunxiao breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and lovingly stroked the black scales on the dragon skin on his shoulder.

With such high-quality materials, Li Cunxiao himself was afraid of wasting them if Taiyi Zhenren insisted that he complete the task independently.

Since the other party is willing to help, even if the quality of the first refining is not satisfactory, as long as the seventh-tier dragon skin is not damaged, we can simply rework it later.

Grandmasters and powerful beings can conquer heaven and earth, their true essence resonating with spiritual energy, and even simulating various natural changes.

Taiyi Zhenren, as an alchemist, was one of the best among them.

The dragon skin was refined with true essence in his hands, and the effect was better than the disciples of the Azure Dragon Pavilion working hard for half a month.

Li Cunxiao stored it in his storage magic treasure and quietly returned to his courtyard.

As for the return gift, he was in no hurry to give it to Shi Jingsi.

Sometimes, putting on airs isn't a bad thing; being too easygoing can actually make people look down on you.

Although Louguan Taoism has various hidden dangers, at least for now, with Daotong Zhenren, a terrestrial immortal, in charge of the Yin-Yang Banner, his true disciple can rest easy.

Therefore, we should adopt the proper attitude instead of rushing to show goodwill, which would make people feel that we have seen through the facade of strength.

This proves the old saying: a wife is not as good as a concubine, a concubine is not as good as a stolen one, and a stolen one is not as good as one that can't be stolen.

"A direct disciple of a grandmaster, the future master of the Azure Dragon lineage, and possibly the next alchemy master."

"With such a triple identity, isn't it a bit much to be treated like someone who has been visited three times in a row?"

With this in mind, Li Cunxiao deliberately waited two days before asking Li Siqi to host a banquet to invite Shi Jingsi and present him with gifts in return. As expected, the military commander was not only not displeased, but was overjoyed and drank a lot of wine.

This time, however, even though he was completely drunk, the other party did not mention anything about the Thirteen Protectors again.

"This Shi Jingsi in white robes is indeed shrewd despite his rough exterior; no wonder he became Li Yisheng's trusted and beloved general."

When Li Cunxiao returned home, he circulated his true energy, and the alcohol in his body was transformed into a ball of liquid, which condensed perfectly in his hand.

For alchemists who need to manipulate dozens or even hundreds of medicines, this is nothing more than child's play.

But Li Mucha, who was feeding the horses nearby, couldn't help but widen his eyes when he saw this.

As the most influential member of the Qinglong lineage, and being diligent himself, Mucha's knowledge accumulation has progressed rapidly in the past six months, making him no less than the elite members of the Longxi Li family.

With the path of demonic cultivation about to begin, he naturally understood just how astonishing his brother's casual display of skill was.

"Does Mucha want to learn alchemy? I can teach you everything I know."

Li Cunxiao noticed his younger brother's gaze, and casually tossed the wine-filled dumpling, which landed on Chi Li's plump buttocks, creating a ripple.

The latter grunted a few times in dissatisfaction, then buried its head in the trough and began chewing again.

"Fat horse! You've gotten so fat, be careful you won't be able to run on the battlefield!"

Both brothers laughed, but after laughing, Li Mucha shook his head seriously:
"I'd rather not try alchemy. I'm not a genius like my older brother. The reason I've achieved something in martial arts is because I have far more resources than the average person."

"Being single-minded is fine, but being distracted will only lead to failure."

Li Cunxiao was taken aback at first, but then felt quite gratified.

“My brother has grown up and knows how to weigh and make decisions.”

"Brother, reforge the Cloud-Stepping Boots and Dragon Sparrow Blade as a gift for your breakthrough to the Muscle Realm."

"real?!"

Li Mucha grinned, revealing a set of neat white teeth.

He didn't particularly care about whether it was a magical baby or not, but his brother's gift was very meaningful to him.

"When has your older brother ever lied to you?"

Seeing his younger brother's happy expression, Li Cunxiao was unusually intrigued and decided to take Li Mucha back to the cultivation room to retrieve the dragon skin.

The true essence surged into the ten-foot-long dragon skin, instantly expanding and extending until it filled the entire room in the blink of an eye.

Li Mucha was startled when he saw the pair of golden dragon eyes. After realizing that it was just a skin, he immediately went forward out of curiosity, touching and looking at it.

The jet-black dragon scales reflected a rainbow of colors under the candlelight. Fifteen-year-old Mucha was already a seven-foot-tall man, yet he could still roll around on the enormous dragon skin at will.

Looking at such a treasure, his eyes held envy and longing, but even more so, admiration for Li Cunxiao:

Is there anything in this world that the eldest brother can't do?

Is there anything this kid in the world can't do?

Inside the Miaoyan Palace, Master Taiyi looked at the two newly forged magical treasures right under his nose and couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"Even if Mu Cha breaks through his muscles and his blood and energy foundation are stronger than that of ordinary martial artists, he still cannot withstand the consumption of magic treasures."

"After thinking about it, I decided to put a demon pill in each of the Cloud-Stepping Boots and the Dragon Sparrow Blade to suppress the evil energy."

"Firstly, the impact on the martial artist's spirit will be weakened to a relatively low level, and less energy and blood will be consumed."

"Secondly, when needed, the demon orb can be detonated directly to restore its original power."

As Li Cunxiao spoke, he looked at the two magical treasures whose appearances had changed, and his expression showed satisfaction.

"After all, it's an artifact that you've always carried with you, so it's not surprising that you were able to successfully reforge it on the first try."

Whether Taiyi Zhenren was trying to comfort himself or not, he picked up the two magical treasures.

The bright silver crane on the Cloud-Stepping Shoes had disappeared, making them look much more understated and simple.

Only after the true essence was inputted did a faint glow appear, and the original drumbeats did not sound.

As for the Dragon Sparrow Blade, Li Cunxiao changed it from a two-handed blade to the now-popular one-handed blade style.

Aside from the unchanged hilt ring, the handle wrapping has been replaced with white sharkskin, the guard has been changed to a shallow cross-shaped cloud pattern, and the scabbard is finished in silver.

Simply put, this change emphasizes a low-profile, low-energy-consumption design, making it more practical for Li Mucha.

Otherwise, if something were to happen one day, Li Cunxiao would not want his younger brother to become a sitting duck while wearing such an eye-catching magical artifact.

“Master, besides these two items, I have also upgraded the Purple Flame Serpent Spear to a superior grade. Please give me your feedback.”

"Ok?"

Master Taiyi looked up in surprise and saw a large purple-red python emerge from Li Cunxiao's dantian, fall into his palm, and transform into a long spear.

Judging from the appearance alone, there seemed to be no change, but seeing the demonic weapon disintegrate into his body, Taiyi was now certain that this mid-grade demonic weapon had indeed become a high-grade one.

Taiyi examined the magical artifact in his disciple's hand with a complex expression.

Back then, he had also mastered the "Nine Turns Flowing Pearl" technique, but he could not achieve the same level of skill as his disciple.

'Because I cheated.'

Li Cunxiao was secretly pleased. He put away the demonic treasure and took out the materials for refining the Dragon-Binding Rope one by one.

The state of mastery brought by the Vajra is a state of complete understanding and mastery, with no shortcomings whatsoever.

Just like an exam, 61 and 99 are both "passing", but the difference between the two is obviously incomparable.

"A pair of sixth-order fire dragon tendons, a pair of sixth-order water dragon tendons, fire essence—fifty catties of pure gold, metal essence—fifty catties of silver and lead, earth essence—fifty catties of realgar."

Li Cunxiao carefully examined and inspected the item, and finally took out the most important and precious seventh-tier black dragon skin.

"There are still two days until the Double Ninth Festival. I originally thought it would be too late."

"But with your current skill level, you might be able to forge the Dragon-Binding Rope before the sect's assessment."

After Taiyi finished speaking, he gestured for Li Cunxiao to begin.

While keeping an eye on his apprentice's technique, he glanced away and saw Du Guanglei looking bored outside the door.

Tomorrow, Sect Leader Yan Daotong will lead the three sect leaders to welcome the imperial envoy. Du Guanglei was originally arranging Double Ninth Festival matters on each peak, but before leaving, his master ordered him to patrol Qinglong Peak, which left everyone puzzled.

Taiyi withdrew his gaze, his hand holding the whisk at an angle, as if he were holding a fishing rod.

Those sorcerers should make some moves by now, right?
Inside the dry well, Jingfeng leaned against the wall, skin and bones, his lips cracked and his face pale.

For a martial artist who has broken through the barrier, even if their cultivation is sealed, this is still a bit too exaggerated.

However, this has not always been the case; it has only happened in the last two weeks.

Jingfeng himself was naturally aware of this, but he did not make a fuss about it at all. Instead, he tried his best to cover it up and dared not let Yan Daotong find out.

until today.

"I was caught by those 'bull-nosed' people in February, when the Awakening of Insects was approaching. They were counting the days, and tomorrow is the Double Ninth Festival."

"They've been imprisoned for half a year!"

The resentment vanished in a flash, followed by anxiety and longing.

"When will the leader and the Dharma King finally arrive?"

"Just today."

what?
A strong sense of weakness instantly overwhelmed Jingfeng, who was horrified to discover that the little true essence and blood he had left his body had all flown out and finally transformed into a man standing in front of him.

"The Cult Leader?!"

(End of this chapter)