sinovels Chapter 69: The Eve
Chapter 69: The Eve
at the same time.
In another secluded corner, Zheng Yuan witnessed the entire annihilation of the Wu family.
Seeing Li Wu's valiant and heroic figure, he thought to himself:
"As expected of someone who cultivates thunder magic, this boy is so powerful. I'm afraid his future achievements will be beyond the Core Formation stage."
"This child should not be befriended."
He wasn't stupid; knowing he had met a promising young man, his primary goal was naturally to befriend him.
Especially when you're unsure how to handle it.
"Now that the Wu family and Xiayun Temple have been destroyed, only the Beast Taming Sect remains in Guang'an County." Zheng Yuan stroked his beard and said calmly:
"The Beast Taming Sect focuses on beast taming, so there's no need to worry about them. Next, we'll take over the territory of the Wu family and Xiayun Temple."
Gathering the resources of an entire prefecture might help the sect leader break through to the Core Formation stage.
This was Changxi Gate's plan.
They wanted the Wu family and Xiayun Temple destroyed, but they couldn't let others know that they were the ones who did it.
They want the benefits, but they can't bear the infamy.
…………
After dealing with Zhou Yan, Li Wu returned to the spaceship with Zhao Nanxu.
Zhao Qianyuan stepped forward quickly, cupped his hands, and said:
"Brother Li, your lightning magic is truly amazing. If it weren't for you, we would have had a real hard time taking down these two forces."
Li Wu waved his hand and changed the subject:
"What do we do next?"
"The two Foundation Establishment cultivators are dead. After we clean up the remaining enemies, we can let Changxi Sect step in."
Zhao Qianyuan naturally understood the principle of "cutting weeds by removing the roots," and he would not be soft-hearted and leave any future troubles behind.
Upon hearing this, Lu Sui raised an eyebrow and asked in confusion:
"Are we just going to give away these two juicy pieces of meat to Changxi Sect for nothing?"
Zhao Qianyuan explained with a smile:
"Of course not. First of all, we will naturally take away all the cultivation techniques and resources of the Wu family and Xiayun Temple. What we will give to Changxi Sect are things that we cannot take away, such as spiritual mountains and spiritual mines."
"Moreover, I had an agreement with Changxi Gate beforehand that he would help us with our business in the market."
Upon hearing this, Lu Sui nodded slightly. The foundation of two Foundation Establishment forces with hundreds of years of history was considerable.
"Brother Li has contributed the most this time, so you should ask Fellow Daoist He Yu to come and carefully select the spiritual items." Zhao Qianyuan said with a smile to Li Wu.
Li Wuwei nodded slightly and said:
"That's just how it is."
With this large sum of resources in hand, Qing Shi Men can probably build a foundation-level protective array for the mountain.
Its foundation is probably no less than that of the other Foundation Establishment forces in Youyang County.
"The following matters will be discussed with you by He Yu and Zhang Zai," Li Wu said, looking at Zhao Qianyuan.
There are currently less than two years until the start of the [Tai Xu] Secret Realm.
After that, Li Wu would spend a lot of time in the Qi Gathering Realm and focus his energy on the [Tai Xu] Secret Realm.
"it is good."
Zhao Qianyuan nodded.
In Youyang County, it was an open secret that Qing Shimen was backed by He Yu and looked towards Zhang Zai.
Therefore, no one was surprised by Li Wu's words.
…………
Gas extraction area.
Dragon Palace, Thunder Pool.
Endless lightning bolts rained down, striking the Xuanlei Jiao (a type of dragon), causing it to writhe in pain, its scales charred black.
However, with each bolt of lightning that Xuan Lei withstood, his aura became more solid, and the electric arcs on his body became stronger.
Li Wu stood with his hands behind his back at the edge of the Thunder Pool, his clothes fluttering in the wind. Looking at the Xuan Lei, who was only one step away from breaking through to the Core Formation stage, he frowned slightly.
"I don't know if we can pull through."
Although Xuan Lei is a thunder dragon and is born with the attribute of thunder, it is still just ordinary thunder from the Qi Refining Realm.
The thunder in the Dragon Palace Thunder Pool belongs to the "Divine Tremor, Earthly Shake, Cloudy Yin" Five Thunders, which have slight differences.
Therefore, Lei Jiao could not completely absorb the lightning like Li Wu could.
However, if Xuan Lei can survive, he will not only break through to the Core Formation stage, but also undergo a complete transformation, and his bloodline grade will be improved.
Li Wu frowned slightly, gazing worriedly at the Xuan Lei in the center of the Thunder Pool.
At this moment, it gritted its teeth, its dragon eyes wide open, and its dragon core spun wildly in its dantian, absorbing, refining, and fusing every bolt of lightning that struck its body.
In the center of the Thunder Pool, Xuan Lei's dragon body had been completely engulfed by lightning.
As its aura gradually increased, absorbing the surrounding lightning, the thunderclouds above unleashed more and more lightning bolts.
"roar!"
A mournful dragon's roar echoed throughout the entire Thunder Pool.
Li Wutong's pupils contracted slightly as he saw Xuan Lei's dragon body trembling violently, large pieces of scales peeling off to reveal the bloody, mangled flesh beneath.
Just when he thought Xuan Lei couldn't hold on and was about to help, a sudden change occurred.
Xuan Lei's body spiraled upwards and entered the thunderclouds. The dragon core within his body gradually solidified, frantically absorbing the power of thunder continuously.
Electric arcs flashed in Li Wu's eyes. He also leaped into the thunderclouds and saw the scales of the Xuan Lei dragon's body fall off, gradually generating new scales.
Five colors—silver, purple, black, blood red, and yellow—are faintly visible.
These correspond to [Divine Thunder], [Thunder], [Yin Thunder], [Sky Thunder], and [Community Thunder], respectively.
"roar!"
An aura belonging to the Core Formation Realm erupted from Xuan Lei.
Li Wuneng sensed that this aura was far stronger than that of the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Qi Gathering Realm. As for whether it could compare to a Purple Mansion True Person, that was hard to say.
After all, Li Wu had never seen the Purple Mansion True Person make a move.
But it is probably no match, because the strength of the Purple Mansion True Man lies mainly in his supernatural powers.
"Xuan Lei, congratulations on breaking through to the Core Formation stage." Li Wufei approached Xuan Lei.
Xuan Lei lowered his dragon head, his eyes filled with gratitude and awe:
"Thank you for your kindness, Master."
Its voice was no longer the hoarse growl it had before, but had become clear human speech.
At the same time, the word "master" also signifies that Xuan Lei has completely accepted Li Wu.
Li Wuwei nodded slightly:
How are you feeling now?
Xuan Lei looked down at his completely transformed body, his dragon eyes gleaming with barely concealed excitement:
"I feel that my bloodline has been transformed, and the lightning power flowing in my body is several times purer than before."
"Even if three or five Core Formation cultivators attacked together, they would not be a match for me."
Upon hearing this, Li Wu nodded and said:
"You have just broken through and need time to stabilize your realm. For the next few days, you will stay in the Thunder Pool and cultivate diligently."
"Yes."
As Li Wu left the Thunder Pool, he pondered in his heart:
"With Xuan Lei's combat power, the chances of success for the [Tai Xu] group will be much greater."
In Li Wu's view, the group of Taixu can be roughly divided into three camps.
One is the [Thunder Palace] faction, one is the anti-[Thunder Palace] faction, and one is the neutral faction.
The neutral faction is definitely the smallest, and most likely consists of some rogue cultivators who sneaked in.
Of the three factions, the largest is undoubtedly the anti-Thunder Palace faction, which includes the Buddhist monks, witchcraft cultists, and the four kingdoms of Zhao, Qi, Yue, and Shu.
Li Wu had consulted the books in the Jade Forest Mountain Scripture Pavilion and found that there were about twenty Purple Mansion True Persons within the four kingdoms alone, and countless Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Conservative estimates suggest that the number of enemies in this [Tai Xu] secret realm is at least over a hundred.
Moreover, they are not the kind of people who have only reached the Foundation Establishment stage without any foundation; they are all exceptionally talented individuals from the Purple Mansion faction, possessing cultivation techniques and magical artifacts.
"I just hope that they aren't a monolithic entity." Li Wu frowned.
…………
the other side.
Qi Yu concealed the aura of "Longevity Qi" on his body and quietly returned to the Yue Kingdom.
Qi Yu said in a low voice:
"Xiao Bai, are you sure we won't be detected by those Purple Mansion Realm cultivators?"
The white jade tortoise stated unequivocally:
"Don't worry, True Immortal Zifu won't be able to find us. Besides, with the [Tai Xu] Secret Realm about to open, those True Immortals are probably all busy planning for the interests of their own disciples. They won't have time to watch us."
"Furthermore, after the destruction of the Thunder Palace and the extermination of the Longevity Turtle Clan, the [Longevity Qi] has ceased to appear in the world."
"Those Purple Mansion True Persons probably already thought that the [Longevity Qi] had dissipated."
"That's good."
Qi Yu nodded, feeling much more at ease.
Qi Yu flew for a long time before finally seeing his own Guangling Mountain.
Then they saw that the mountain was shrouded in clouds and mist, and there was a formation covering it.
As he descended and was about to enter the mountains, he saw a Qi Refining cultivator flying towards him.
"May I ask which senior you are, and what brings you to my Guangling Mountain?"
Qi Yu's gaze sharpened, and after looking him up and down for a moment, he exclaimed with delight:
"Qi Yao, you've broken through to the Qi Refining stage!"
As Qi Yu spoke, he removed the covering from his face.
The familiar tone startled Qi Yao. She looked up and saw the person's face clearly. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Brother Yu! You're still alive!"
Qi Yu: ?
"What are you talking about? Of course I'm alive."
Qi Yu's forehead darkened, and he grabbed Qi Yao's hand and flew into the mountains first.
Qi Yao looked at Qi Yu and said excitedly:
"Brother Yu, you've been away from home for so long without sending a single letter. We don't know where you've gone. Everyone thought you'd died out there."
"Nonsense, I'm perfectly fine, how could I die?"
Qi Yao nodded repeatedly, then asked:
"Brother Yu, you've broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage? Is our Qi family going to become a Foundation Establishment aristocratic family?"
The Qi family rose from a farming family to a Foundation Establishment family in less than forty years—a remarkably rapid pace.
Upon hearing this, Qi Yu immediately tapped her head and whispered:
"I must never tell anyone that I have broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, or it will bring annihilation upon my family."
"Alright, take me to find my father."
Qi Yao nodded with pursed lips and led Qi Yu into the heart of the mountain.
"My father has been managing clan affairs these past few years, and his temples have turned quite a bit white."
Qi Yao spoke softly as she pushed open the gate to the courtyard.
Inside the courtyard, a middle-aged man was bent over a desk, writing something with a brush in his fingers. He was none other than Qi Zhengchu, the patriarch of the Qi family.
The moment he saw Qi Yu, the brush in his hand fell onto the paper with a thud. He stood there stunned for a moment before abruptly standing up:
"Yu'er!"
Qi Zhengchu quickly walked around the desk, looked his son up and down, his eyes slightly red, and his voice trembling:
"Where...where have you been? You've been gone for years without a word. I thought..."
"Father, I'm perfectly fine."
Qi Yu took his father's arm and said with a smile:
"It's a long story, let me tell you slowly."
Qi Zhengchu took a deep breath and turned to look at Qi Yao:
"Go and close the door, don't let anyone else in."
After Qi Yao closed the door, Qi Zhengchu lowered his voice and said:
"What level of cultivation have you reached now? I can't see through you."
Qi Yu pondered for a moment, then released a wisp of Foundation Establishment cultivator's aura before quickly retracting it.
Qi Zhengchu's pupils suddenly contracted, his lips trembled twice, and he was speechless for a moment.
"Foundation Building," Qi Yu said calmly.
Qi Zhengchu was stunned for a long time, then suddenly tears streamed down his face, and his hand gripping Qi Yu's arm trembled:
"Good...good! My Qi family has been toiling in the soil since my grandfather's generation, and it was only in my generation that we barely touched the threshold of Qi Refining. I thought that it would be a blessing from our ancestors if someone in your generation could achieve Qi Refining Perfection..."
He choked up and couldn't continue.
After a moment, he gradually composed himself, looked at Qi Yu with a puzzled expression, and said:
"Yu'er, you were only in the early stage of Qi Refining when you left. How did you break through to the Foundation Establishment stage so quickly?"
Qi Yu naturally couldn't reveal that he cultivated [Longevity Qi], so he could only whisper:
"Father, this matter is complicated and cannot be explained in a short time. Anyway, listen to me from now on: the whole clan will leave here and head to the Qin State."
Why?
When Qi Yao returned and heard his words, she immediately asked in confusion.
"Alas, this is somewhat related to the lineage I cultivate. In any case, if we stay in Yue, we will inevitably face the risk of our clan being wiped out."
Qi Yu's main purpose in returning was to relocate his family to the Qin state.
Although almost all Daoist traditions are unaware of the reappearance of [Shouqi], it will inevitably become impossible to conceal after the [Taixu] Secret Realm.
At that time, those Purple Mansion True Persons and even True Lords will surely follow the clues and find the Qi family.
Of all the states under heaven, only the Qin state is most suitable for the Qi family.
After all, the Qin state already has [Fu Qi] and [Lu Qi], so if [Shou Qi] were to go to the Qin state...
That would mean having all the blessings of fortune, longevity, and prosperity.
Seeing his son's serious expression, Qi Zhengchu's own expression turned solemn. After a moment of silence, he nodded and said:
"Okay, I'll inform everyone tomorrow."
"it is good."
Qi Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
"Brother Yu, how many days will you be staying after you return?"
Qi Yao then realized that her brother seemed to be carrying something on his shoulders.
Qi Yu shook his head and said:
"I'll leave right away."
Although the white jade turtle assured him that he wouldn't be discovered by those Purple Mansion True Persons, Qi Yu still dared not gamble.
After explaining what had happened, I wanted to leave as soon as possible.
"So soon?" Qi Yao frowned slightly.
"The longer I stay, the more dangerous it will be for you."
Qi Yu shook his head, then got up to leave, handing a jade slip to his father.
"Father, Yaomei, you should hurry and lead your people away from Yue. Once you reach Qin, someone will come looking for you."
Having said that, he didn't linger for a moment and left Guangling Mountain on a whirlwind.
After leaving Guangling Mountain, the white jade turtle crawled out of Qi Yu's clothes.
"I already told you, you don't need to be so careful. Staying at home for a few days won't matter. Those Purple Mansion True Immortals really won't be able to detect you."
Qi Yu looked serious and shook his head, saying:
"We must not be careless. If anything goes wrong, it could lead to the extermination of our entire clan."
"Once the matter of the [Tai Xu] Secret Realm is over, I will naturally be able to return home openly and legitimately."
"As you wish."
The white jade turtle shook its head.
"Where do we go next?" Qi Yu asked.
"How about we go to Yulin Mountain or the Dragon Palace of the East Sea?"
He has now reached the Foundation Establishment stage and is fully capable of crossing the East Sea to reach Yulin Mountain and the Dragon Palace.
Moreover, you might even see Li Wu there.
"I'm not going."
The white jade turtle shook its head.
Qi Yu was immediately puzzled and asked in confusion:
"Why? Wouldn't it be safer to find them?"
The white jade turtle explained:
"When the [Tai Xu] Secret Realm opens, the group from Yulin Mountain and the Dragon Palace will inevitably be besieged and annihilated by cultivators from other lineages due to their large numbers and high visibility."
"Going there would not only be of no help, but would also put us in danger."
"When the time comes, we'll conceal our presence and sneak in quietly, and find the Purple Mansion Spiritual Object we're looking for first."
Upon hearing this, Qi Yu's eyes lit up, and he nodded, saying:
"Little White, you're really good at hiding your true colors!"
"Of course, I'm a tortoise," the white jade tortoise said proudly.
They are a clan of longevity turtles; they may not excel in other areas, but they are incredibly powerful when they are turtles.
…………
at the same time.
In the vast emptiness.
More than twenty illusory figures appeared one after another, each illuminated by different colored lights behind them.
"Everyone, the [Tai Xu] Secret Realm is about to open, and as always, they are blocking the Yu Lin, Dragon, and Ying clans."
From the direction of Shu, a true master spoke first.
"Hmph! Now that the three thunders of [Divine Thunder], [Earth Thunder], and [Social Thunder] have gathered together, I think the Jade Pivot Palace may well reappear in the world." Another Purple Mansion True Person said with dissatisfaction.
Upon hearing this, most of the cultivators turned their gaze toward the Yue Kingdom.
"Fellow Daoist Taixi, aren't you going to step forward and explain?"
"Fellow Daoist Taixi, your Golden Yue Sect took the [Divine Thunder] lineage back then, promising never to let it reappear in the world. How come you've gone to the East Sea now?"
When Master Taixi heard the accusations from his fellow Daoists, he remained silent, which was beyond his plans.
His plan was to release fellow Daoists of the Divine Thunder, cultivate several Qi Refining cultivators of the Divine Thunder, and help the Yue Kingdom deal with the matter of the Buddhist cultivators.
Then, when it gains momentum, we will intercept it.
The plan went smoothly; the vast majority of cultivators who practiced [Divine Thunder] entered his furnace, but only one person escaped.
That was the Thunder God from the East Sea.
Master Taixi cannot deny his responsibility in this matter, and he said:
"This matter was indeed due to my oversight, but the Purple Mansion Chapter of the Jade Pivot Edict for Extermination is still in the hands of my Golden Axe Sect. Moreover, isn't our purpose in this [Great Void] Secret Realm precisely the same as before: to keep those [Divine Thunder] and [Thunderclap] cultivators in the Secret Realm forever?"
Upon hearing this, some of the Purple Mansion True Persons nodded slightly.
Some Purple Mansion True Persons snorted coldly, their expressions disdainful.
"Master Taixi is absolutely right. In any case, our goal is to keep those two lightning bolts within the secret realm. We must not allow all three lightning bolts to exist at the same time."
At this moment, a lazy-looking immortal spoke:
"Fellow Daoists, now that we have reached an agreement, let each of you send your most outstanding disciples into the secret realm together."
"Very good."
Just as the group of masters nodded in agreement, a discordant voice suddenly rang out:
"I'm sorry, fellow Daoists, but our Sanqing Mountain will not be participating in this [Tai Xu] Secret Realm."
Upon hearing this, the assembled masters were taken aback. Some looked at the speaker and said in a deep voice:
"Fellow Daoist Shangqing, what do you mean by this?"
Shang Qing forced a smile and said:
"It's nothing, I just don't want to go. Please do as you wish."
After saying this, he turned and left without waiting for the other real people to react.
Watching his departing figure, a man angrily said:
"This Shangqing is far too rude!"
"This matter was decided jointly by all the True Lords; how can he simply refuse to go?"