Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 271, 280 Leopard Skin Bag, Acquired Bag, Great Crimson Heaven

Cultivating Qibao lotus root is by no means simple.

It took Master Taiyi over a decade to cultivate a seventh-tier golden lotus, and even with such a great investment, he only managed to produce one incarnation from the Seven Treasures Lotus.

A complete Seven Treasures Lotus is at least of the eighth grade, or even higher.

Previously, Li Cunxiao only used the dragon boat's ability to gather spiritual energy to supplement his cultivation from time to time, in addition to meeting his own cultivation needs.

Even so, it took more than half a year for the second lotus root incarnation to finally take on a human form.

At the current rate, it will take at least a few more years to fully mature, but the current situation does not allow it to develop slowly.

The regional military governors were restless, especially the more powerful princes who were mobilizing their troops both openly and secretly.

He must break through the barrier of mystery as soon as possible and master the spiritual treasure. With the secret realm as his support, he can live a much more comfortable life even if he chooses to live in seclusion.

"It's a pity that the gains in the Three Realms Extreme True Cave Heaven were limited. If I could go in again, it would definitely greatly shorten the time it takes for the lotus incarnation to mature."

Li Cunxiao felt regretful, but there was nothing he could do.

Even a true disciple can only enter the secret realm once every five years. He was granted special treatment because of his deduction and improvement of the formula for the Tranquilizing Pill.

Could it be that we need to improve another elixir so that Yan Daotong will allow us to enter the secret cave realm?
In any case, since Wen Zhongzi had explained the benefits of the unity of the three religions for breaking through the barrier, he could not possibly give up.

The cultivation of the seventh realm, the Xuan Guan (mysterious gate), and the eighth realm, the Yuan Tai (primordial embryo), both revolve around the Niwan Palace (mud pill palace).

If he could possess a primordial spirit strength three times that of an ordinary martial artist, then in the future he would be just like Wen Zhongzi, invincible among grandmasters, and even able to contend with great grandmasters.

"Thank you for your guidance, senior. I understand now."

Wen Zhongzi nodded upon hearing this and reminded him:

"Back when I was cultivating the Three Teachings United as One, Yang Yingzheng knew about this and spread the news of the Seven Treasures Lotus."

"Although this tyrannical ruler is treacherous and unwilling to hand over this treasure, I also know that cultivating this item requires a large amount of spiritual essence."

"There are still some rare and precious materials left in this palace. With your current abilities, even if you can't defeat the guardian demon, taking a few items shouldn't be a problem."

"Cultivate your avatar as soon as possible and break through the barrier. When that time comes, as long as you can defeat me at the same level, I will impart all of my knowledge of the 'Middle Way' to you."

Li Cunxiao gratefully cupped his hands and bowed deeply in thanks.

The two were not formally master and disciple, and their relationship was far from deep, but the other was willing to impart all his knowledge to him. Such an open and generous attitude was enough to win people's respect.

Wen Zhongzi smiled slightly and said nothing more.

Only after Li Cunxiao left did he slowly stroll to the front of Qianyang Palace.

As far as the eye can see, there is a stone pebble on the dragon throne.

"Li Cunxiao's talent is truly unparalleled in my life. In the hundreds of years since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there has never been such a hero. Even if Emperor Wen of Zhou were to be resurrected, he would be no better than him."

"Only someone like this is qualified to wield a spiritual treasure. Perhaps once the barrier is broken, Yang Ying—our doomsday will be upon us."

Wen Zhongzi seemed to be talking to himself, murmuring softly, the sound lingering in the empty hall.

However, when talking about his own end, his face showed no emotion, but rather an expression of anticipation and relief.

After he finished speaking, the stone egg on the dragon throne remained completely still, just like an ordinary rock.

"Hehe," Wen Zhongzi chuckled softly, and soon the footsteps faded into the distance.

Ten breaths.

Thirty breaths.

A quarter of an hour.

The surface of the stone egg seemed to have twisted, turning into strange patterns.

Like fine grooves on skin, outlining a face in shadow.

The human face seemed to contain both anger and fear, the two intertwined to create a ferocious expression.

The spirit in the Qianyang Palace turned its enormous dragon head around in confusion, its two small sun-like pupils radiating golden light, illuminating the stone egg.

The human face had already disappeared without anyone noticing.

"Shi Jingsi has already left?"

"Yes, Junior Brother was refining magical artifacts and fighting against the Ming Cult demons that day, and later there was the assessment ceremony."

"General Shi could tell that his junior brother was overwhelmed, so he took his leave."

"Oh, that's a bit of a shame. I was planning to invite General Shi over and treat him to a proper meal. If it weren't for his generous gift, I wouldn't have been able to forge the Dragon-Binding Rope."

As Li Cunxiao and Li Siqi walked through the Azure Dragon Pavilion, all the disciples along the way watched them intently.

Even though the latter was the senior brother, when the two walked together, Li Cunxiao was always half a body length ahead.

Even their demeanor during their conversation showed that Li Cunxiao was more relaxed and casual, while Li Siqi appeared to be the subordinate.

“If General Shi knew of my junior brother’s kindness, he would surely be grateful.”

"Before he left, he specifically asked me to convey that the Prince of Jin's high regard for his junior brother could not be contained by a mere dragon skin, and that they should have more contact in the future."

pity.

Li Cunxiao sighed inwardly upon hearing this. He knew perfectly well why the other party had left so early. With important court officials like Gao Pian present, how could these regional military commanders dare to linger?

Every single one of the military governors was a traitor and a rebel, only they sounded better than people like Huang Chao.

He had originally planned to take this opportunity to connect with Prince Jin, who was behind Shi Jingsi, in order to expand his supply channels, but now he had no choice but to give up.

'The relic pagoda that suppresses all demons in the world is Li Yisheng's magical treasure; in this chaotic world, its usefulness is immeasurable.'

'Those demons alone constitute a tremendous fortune.'

'If I had the Relic Pagoda, not only would the amount of malevolent energy I obtained be several times greater, but I could also use the remaining materials for alchemy and weapon crafting.'

'Perhaps this is why Li Yisheng is willing to win over my master and curry favor with me?'

As the two talked, they arrived at the slaughterhouse in the Azure Dragon Pavilion.

Compared to my last visit, the scene here is even more bustling today. Disciples move back and forth, shouts rise and fall, and the screams of demons, accompanied by the stench of blood, fill the air.

"Brother Cunxiao, Brother Siqi!"

"Big Brother!"

"Hmm," Li Cunxiao responded simply, without disturbing everyone's work.

An invisible malevolent aura converged from the flesh and blood in all directions, surging into the vajra in his dantian, centered on him.

The illusory sound of rushing water was like a stream flowing into a river. The light in the vajra visibly rippled and surged, flowing from the center to both sides, slowly climbing to a quarter of its full height.

Of the five pairs of Capricorn claws, only one still shines brightly.

This achievement was accomplished in just three or four days, and it's all thanks to Gao Pian and others.

It was no secret that Zhu Quanzhong's army was marching on Luoyang. Originally, Huang Chao was a major threat, but when someone sent troops to defend the emperor, the atmosphere in the capital region became even more tense.

Gao Pian brought high-ranking officials from the imperial court to Louguan Dao, not only to observe the ceremony, but also to place a high-value order, which included various healing and cultivation pills, clearly indicating that he was already preparing for war.

So these past few days, everyone on Azure Dragon Peak has been incredibly busy, and even Vermilion Bird Peak has had many disciples transferred over.

Originally, these disciples should have been led by Ye Shuyi, a true disciple of Zhuque Peak, but in reality, it was Li Cunxiao who ultimately gave the orders.

There's no other reason than that, after his battle with the Ming Cult's Jingfeng Envoy and his various impressive performances in refining elixirs and magical treasures, Li Cunxiao has already gained the prestige of being the number one person after Xue Tianyun, the chief.

In addition, he didn't give orders blindly; he simply reviewed the daily work arrangements and, within his authority, gave his junior colleagues some small perks as appropriate.

In just a few days, his prestige soared. "At the current pace, it won't be half a month before I can accumulate enough for two breakthroughs, and the completion of the 'Nine Revolutions Flowing Pearl Nine Elixir Scripture' will be just around the corner."

Li Cunxiao asked Li Siqi to stay behind to oversee the work, and then left Baicaoyuan ahead of him, heading towards Miaoyan Palace.

As a divine skill, the Nine Revolutions Flowing Pearl Nine Elixir Scripture requires twice the amount of malevolent energy for advancement compared to ordinary martial arts techniques, but correspondingly, its performance in all aspects is also very satisfactory.

Whether it's the application of the Spirit Pearl Technique in alchemy and weapon crafting, or the explosive enhancement of the Demon Orb Technique in life-or-death battles, both are extremely important to him.

On the contrary, there is a huge shortage of spiritual energy needed to cultivate the Seven Treasures Lotus, which has been causing him a lot of worry these past few days.

The dragon boat, originally used as Emperor Yang's temporary palace, was filled with rare and precious treasures from all over the world and was Yang Ying's reliance for restoring his country.

However, after being possessed by a demon, Lingbao became a prison, trapping not only Yang Ying himself, but also his imperial guards, officials, and palace maids.

These people didn't all fall into demonic possession overnight; to survive, they need to absorb energy.

The consumption of nearly 10,000 people, and these are the best of the best, is not a small number.

This led to Li Cunxiao sneaking into various palaces, ransacking them, only to return disappointed in the end.

"I'm afraid we'll have to trouble our master and ask him to bring out some of his treasured possessions from his many years of collection."

"Once I master the spiritual treasure, I will definitely make sure my master is the first to comprehend the Dongxuan Scripture. These are all necessary investments."

Li Cunxiao grew increasingly confident in his reasoning. After briefly rehearsing his words, he arrived at Miaoyan Palace, flashed a natural smile, and pushed open the door to enter.

"Master."

"Eh" x2
The monk and the Taoist priest turned around at the same time. Li Cunxiao was taken aback when he saw the ragged monk and forgot all about extorting money from the old Taoist priest.

"Master Qici, are you injured?"

"It's nothing since it didn't damage our vital energy."

Qi Ci waved his hand dismissively, not caring at all. He carefully examined his apprentice from head to toe, and after a while, a light smile appeared on his face.

"Good, good, good. It seems that you have not wasted any time while I was away, or rather, you have far exceeded my expectations."

"Nonsense, don't you even look at who's teaching?"

Master Taiyi raised his chin slightly, as if to claim credit, but the senior monk scoffed upon hearing this.

"It's clearly Lingbao's doing, yet he's still acting arrogantly about it?"

The old Taoist priest was about to explode when he heard this, but Qici didn't give him the chance and directly changed the subject.

"Cunxiao, do you know about Zhu Quanzhong's matter?"

"I know. It is said that he personally led 50,000 elite troops straight to Luoyang."

The senior monk shook his head.

"No, it's not that they're heading straight for Luoyang, but that their army is already at the city gates."

"To be precise, apart from Luoyang, where Huang Chao was located, Huaizhou, Ruzhou, and Zezhou have all been captured by Zhu Quanzhong."

"Once Huang Chao and Qin Fengquan are dealt with, Zhu Quanzhong can advance unimpeded and enter the capital region."

what? !

Li Cunxiao was startled. "So fast?"

"Although Huang Chao was a bandit and a stubborn villain, he still commanded tens of thousands of troops. How could he have been defeated so quickly?"

"Even catching 60,000 pigs would take a lot of effort. And now, less than ten days have passed, and Huang Chao can't hold out anymore?"

"I'm afraid it's intentional," Taiyi Zhenren reminded his disciple.

"Have you forgotten what the relationship is between the Ming Cult and Huang Chao and Zhu Quanzhong?"

Li Cunxiao suddenly realized.

Huang Chao was a rebel and bandit, while the Ming Cult was recognized by the imperial court as a heretical and evil cult. Both sides wanted to become the legitimate ones, so they naturally colluded.

Previously, Li Cunxiao had always thought that the two sides were in a cooperative relationship, but on the day when the Great Dharma Kings attacked the mountain gate, the Ming Cult's leader, Faqing, displayed a power that was undoubtedly comparable to Yan Daotong's.

It's not hard to guess who's in charge between the Ming Cult, which has Grandmasters, and Huang Chao's rebel army, which only has two Grandmasters.

Moreover, the reason Qi left earlier was because Zhu Quanzhong was suspected of colluding with the Ming Cult and secretly performing a blood sacrifice on the spiritual treasure.
Li Cunxiao suddenly felt a jolt when he thought of this.

"Master, does the Ming Cult now also have magical treasures?"

Monk Qici couldn't help but sigh, his expression showing resentment and indignation, but he finally nodded in agreement.

"Yes."

“Our Pure Land School originally had a spiritual treasure, but it was damaged during the great war when Emperor Wuzong suppressed Buddhism. The treasure was broken into two halves, which were then divided between the Western Pure Land and our Maitreya Pure Land.”

"This item in my hand is called a leopard skin pouch."

The big monk patted the cloth bag on his shoulder with his fat hand. Li Cunxiao looked at the patches on it and couldn't see anything special about it.

"The spiritual treasure is split, the secret realm is damaged, and the power of the leopard skin bag has also weakened a lot. At most, it can only be considered a decent divine weapon."

"However, after the Ming Cult obtained the other half of the magical treasure, they have been trying to repair it for over a hundred years."

"I used to risk going out because I discovered that people were plundering people and sacrificing them for blood."

"As a result, after catching up with them, they were discovered by the three Demonic Cult Dharma Kings before they even reached their lair."

“These treacherous people, while I was not paying attention, left one person behind to deal with the situation, while the other two headed straight for the gate of Louguan Taoist Temple.”

"You know what happened next. Mingzun Faqing dared to provoke us, probably to test the power of the spiritual treasure."

Li Cunxiao was speechless for a moment.

Using the flesh and blood of tens of thousands of people to repair spiritual treasures is a practice that has far exceeded his bottom line.

This also explains why Zhu Quanzhong was able to easily take over several prefectures and counties in Luoyang. It is likely that Huang Chao and Qin Fengquan were already "wise men who know when to yield" and had bowed down to the Liang King's banner.

"Master, is that magical treasure in the Ming Cult's possession very powerful?"

"It's extraordinary," Qi Ci said, his eyes gazing into the distance, as if recalling his master's admonition when he was still a young novice monk.

"This leopard skin pouch in my hand controls one of the four elements: earth, water, fire, and wind. The leopard skin pouch is the breathing tool of the wind god."

"The leopard skin bag can control the wind, which can clear away stagnant thoughts and create a refreshing breeze. Its effects are more focused on killing."

"But the bag that Faqing has is different."

"The day after tomorrow bag?"

Qici noticed his disciple's confusion and explained:
"Human nature is innate, but it is acquired after birth."

"This bag contains the Five Signs of Decay of Heaven and Man; even a Grandmaster would fall from his cultivation level in a short time if caught in it,"

"When one's physical strength declines, it is like a young and strong person being reduced to the appearance of a newborn infant. This is called severing the acquired to achieve the innate, hence the name 'acquired bag'."

"However, without a real battle, we cannot be certain of the extent to which the Ming Cult has repaired it."

That's what they said, but looking at Qi Ci's solemn expression, Li Cunxiao knew that the situation couldn't be much better.

Taiyi, unable to bear seeing the worried master and disciple, simply interrupted:
“Bald Thief, don’t cause our disciple any more trouble. These things are not for him to worry about.”

"By the way, Cunxiao, there's something good I haven't told you yet."

"Good thing?"

"Do you know about the Great Crimson Heaven of the Taiqing Palace?"

(End of this chapter)