Chapter 1025: South Wugu

His words were skillfully chosen, subtly revealing his stance and making the three of them laugh. Sima Yuanli merely pulled Li Ximing closer and sighed, "Daoist Guo is truly scared. After all, he suffered losses in his early years and was tormented by the Coalesced Fire matter, giving him headaches and fevers. Now, he's terrified of Coalesced Fire!"

"After all, Guo Shentong is quite famous," Li Ximing replied with a smile. Sima Yuanli sighed with emotion.

"It's not just a surname; there was once a Nascent Soul Coalesced Fire that harmed many members of his family. Later, he had to sell it to acquire spiritual treasures for his breakthrough, and only then did things gradually improve..."

"It's good not to cultivate Coalesced Fire! As long as you don't cultivate Coalesced Fire..." He patted his forehead playfully and quipped, "There's something in here!"

Li Ximing burst out laughing but then suddenly remembered that his own most powerful Heavenly Crow Coalesced Fire was also a Coalesced Fire. If it weren't for the Valley Wind Flame-Guiding technique and Talisman Seeds, he would also be affected. He awkwardly brushed the topic aside.

Kuang Yu, perhaps not very familiar with Sima Yuanli, merely smiled faintly. Li Ximing, nodding with deep empathy, chuckled, "Please!"

As the host, he led the three of them up the mountain, stopping at the peak. Sima Yuanli then introduced, "Daoist Guo hails from the East Sea, a rogue cultivator. His ancestors were descendants of a renowned family, the illustrious Guo clan of Yongzhou. They fled to the outer seas during the fall of the Liang Dynasty, thus losing their fame..."

True Immortal Nanwu nodded slightly, taking over the conversation with a smile. "Daoist Qinghu, there's no need to elevate me. If we're comparing noble origins, how could I possibly compare to a descendant of an Emperor? You'll only make Senior Zhaojing laugh."

He sighed softly. "Back then, my ancestor was gravely injured and dared not show his face. He had no choice but to seek refuge in the outer seas, where he hastily perished. The spiritual energy in the outer seas was sparse, and within a mere century, my family had fallen into extreme decline, relying solely on an island formed from the remains of a perished True Immortal for cultivation..."

"Before his death, my ancestor entrusted all his treasures to a certain True Immortal, asking him to look after our family, so that we wouldn't perish because of these treasures. This True Immortal cared for my family for a hundred years, but then met with an accident and was never heard from again... Our family fell into even greater disarray, eventually reaching a point where we couldn't even defend our island."

"If it weren't for the old True Immortal from Qu'e Mountain passing by the outer seas a hundred years ago and accidentally discovering me... he brought me out of the outer seas, and I also had some luck, otherwise I wouldn't have the opportunities I have today!"

He seemed full of emotion, but Li Ximing understood clearly. This introduction first mentioned the Great Liang Dynasty, indicating his origin, and then Qu'e Mountain, speaking of his network of connections, which belonged to the Nascent Soul lineage of Kuang Yu from the Southeast Sea.

This also resolved Li Ximing's doubts. To be harmed by a Nascent Soul Coalesced Fire, those "many figures" must have been Foundation Establishment cultivators, who forcefully used the Coalesced Fire to save their clan from peril. As Coalesced Fire damages one's nature and life, their miserable deaths were to be expected.

Li Ximing withdrew his hand and sighed, "It wasn't easy..."

Kuang Yu nodded slightly and continued. "The Guo family has been through a lot in recent years... and having returned from overseas, they desperately need a large amount of spiritual resources and a Nascent Soul-grade formation capable of protecting their family... which also aligns with your expectations, Daoist friend!"

"It was precisely for this reason that when I received news from Zhaojing, my first thought was Daoist Guo. I inquired with him thoroughly, and unexpectedly, he also knew Daoist Qinghu. They went all the way to Helin to inspect the formation and then came here on the way."

Li Ximing nodded in realization. Sima Yuanli wasted no time and retrieved an item from his sleeve.

It was a dark scroll adorned with colorful patterns, tied with a golden spiritual cord. He placed it before Li Ximing and sighed, "In recent days, the formation masters in my clan have been diligently drawing and piecing together the formation diagram for this array. We also obtained clues from several Changxiao formation cultivators, achieving about fifty to sixty percent completion."

Sima Yuanli's gesture was undoubtedly thoughtful and respectful to both parties. Li Ximing nodded with a smile as Sima Yuanli stroked his beard and continued. "This is the Heavenly Celestial Harmonic Spirit Array, crafted by Changxiao. When he emerged from the Grotto-heaven back then, he was laden with treasures and was quite generous in their use. The formation plate uses White Yingyao Gold as its base and Changhe Langxing as its patterns, refined with two Nascent Soul-grade spiritual objects and various other spiritual resources. This formation plate alone is truly priceless, impossible to acquire even with money!"

"Once this spirit array is established, while it might be slightly inferior in defending against other cultivators and has few offensive capabilities, it is a top-tier treasure for aiding cultivation, gathering spiritual energy, nourishing vitality, and establishing paths for propagation of the Dao!"

As his words fell, he revealed an item from his palm and smiled, "This is the formation plate!"

The item was palm-sized, octagonal, and appeared as a uniform greenish-white. Intricate talismans, as fine as ox-hairs, were drawn upon its surface. Though it was bright white like snow, with every slight movement of Sima Yuanli's palm, it shimmered with golden highlights.

"My family's heritage possesses some foundation, allowing us to safely retrieve this item with minimal damage. At most, it has suffered a slight depletion of spiritual energy, which can be restored by nourishing it for one to two years once the new grand array is refined!"

"However... this item was hastily retrieved by us when breaking the array. I am not skilled in formations, so I have merely restrained it here with a spell. We still need to find someone knowledgeable in formations, and I will accompany them to set it up."

True Immortal Guo's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he secretly nodded. Li Ximing calmly took it, feeling a cold sensation in his palm as it settled.

As expected of a Nascent Soul-grade treasure, it was exquisitely miniature and adorable, radiating the divine multicolored light of a Nascent Soul-tier artifact. One could not tear their eyes away after a single glance, and holding it, one was even more reluctant to put it down. Even if he didn't need it himself, he wished he could collect it for careful study.

True Immortal Guo, standing nearby, couldn't take his eyes off it either. Li Ximing smiled at him and asked, "Daoist Guo... are you cultivating...?"

True Immortal Guo quickly looked up and said courteously, "Senior, there's no need to be so polite. My name is Guo Nanwu; you may simply call me Nanwu. My Guo family cultivates the Yin Water and Lesser Yang paths, supplemented by the Virtue of Fire, and I achieved my breakthrough through the Lesser Yang path..."

"That's quite rare!" Li Ximing felt it was his first time encountering a Nascent Soul cultivator of the Lesser Yang path, but his mind reacted swiftly. Beyond his surprise, he felt more suspicion.

'Lesser Yang isn't strange; after all, they are an aristocratic family from the Great Liang Dynasty, and Great Liang had the famous Lesser Yang Demonic Lord. But this means, combined with his ancestor's experience of fleeing, it's highly probable that his ancestor was a high-ranking official of Emperor Liang and a cultivator of the Lesser Yang path!'

'What does this mean? The Lesser Yang lineage of Great Liang originates from the Zitaixuanxie Sect, commonly known as the Guanxie lineage! Who is in charge of the Guanxie lineage now? Wei Xuanyin! Who does he work for? Luoxia!'

This was the advantage of understanding the various Daoist lineages. Even if the possibility of the other party coming from the Zitaixuanxie Sect was extremely low, Li Ximing immediately began to probe, nodding as he said, "That's not surprising. So, it's the Lesser Yang path... but is it the Guanxie lineage?"

At these words, Sima Yuanli, who was about to speak, took a sip of tea and remained silent. Guo Nanwu, on the other hand, chuckled. "We can't claim such a lofty connection to the Guanxie lineage. In fact, Yin Water is our family's primary cultivation path. The Lesser Yang path was acquired by my ancestor back then... I never expected that while Yin Water repeatedly failed, Lesser Yang succeeded."

His expression grew a little more wistful as he replied, "I know Daoist friend is thinking of the Zitaixuanxie Sect... Back then, those cultivators were truly high and mighty, but now... their orthodox lineage is completely broken. They are just a bunch of errand-runners for the Guanhuatianlou Dao."

Li Ximing was slightly surprised, but Sima Yuanli coughed, signaling that the topic should not be dwelled upon. He could only set his cup down and nod silently. 'That's true... Firstly, for his family to be hunted down and fall into such decline, they naturally couldn't be from the Zitaixuanxie Sect. Secondly... even if Wei Xuanyin wanted to stir up trouble, he wouldn't do it this way... nor would he need to invite suspicion by associating with such figures. Not to mention finding someone from a reputable lineage, at the very least, he'd choose someone with a cleaner background...'

Guo Nanwu seemed a little embarrassed and then continued, "Nanwu also understands the preciousness of this item, so I've brought some spiritual treasures as well this time."

"Oh?" Li Ximing looked up with interest, watching Guo Nanwu take a box from his robe. As he opened it, a clear, brilliant color shone forth from within.

He said softly, "Senior, please take a look!"

With a flicker of his spiritual sense, Li Ximing saw a majestic golden aura swirling within the box, suppressed by the divine power protecting its surface. The color at the very bottom was clear and bright, clearly a spiritual object of the Metal element.

This made Li Ximing narrow his eyes as he asked, "Dui Metal?"

"Precisely!" Guo Nanwu replied with a serious expression. "This item is nameless; it's a type of Metal Fiend, yet it's also a Dui Metal spiritual object. I had the old True Immortal examine it, and he said it's more exalted than ordinary Nascent Soul-grade spiritual objects!"

"Exalted?" His choice of words struck Li Ximing as a bit odd, and he pondered in silence. Sima Yuanli, however, frowned, half-believing, half-doubting, and replied, "It looks like the Changyue Transmuting Gold to me... but with an added hint of light..."

"Daoist Qinghu has excellent discernment!" Guo Nanwu shook his head with a sigh and replied, "Back when my family was cultivating in the outer seas, the Grand Void vibrated, and golden stars fell from the sky. Long rainbows swept past the moon, approaching the horizon, causing the scenery to become chaotic and shrouded in mist. Though my ancestor was gravely injured, he had to reveal himself."

"He only saw a few specks of golden light fall into the sea. With his proximity, he had the advantage and secretly retrieved them. After repeated study, he also believed it to be Changyue Transmuting Gold."

"Later, the old True Immortal Diyan rescued my family. When I sought to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, I offered this spiritual object as a token of gratitude, along with using Mianwei Coalesced Fire to acquire the Rongyang Stones of the Three Sects. The old True Immortal accepted the Coalesced Fire, but sent the Changyue Transmuting Gold back."

Guo Nanwu's gaze was complex as he replied, "The old True Immortal said it was a gift from Shen Bai, gold from a bygone era, and thus he firmly refused to take it. He also instructed us not to let it come into contact with other Dui Metal, as it would change upon contact... so we have kept it preserved until today."

"When Nanwu achieved divine abilities, I visited the old True Immortal at his mountain gate and inquired about this matter. However, the old True Immortal remained tight-lipped. When I asked about its marvels, he only said it possessed a hint of solar power... I was actually quite curious. Now, after searching through the family's possessions, this is the only item we could offer!"

Li Ximing carefully appraised it, his divine abilities resonating, and replied, "Indeed, it possesses the power of a First Manifestation."

This gave Li Ximing pause for thought. His own Imperial Qi Light was being refined in a chamber within the Jueque Court, primarily focusing on solar, thunder, and light fiend energies. This item contained solar energy and was also a metal fiend. If he couldn't sell it immediately, it could also be used to cultivate spells, which should be of great use.

He didn't consider taking it for his own use, but rather thought of it as a bonus for Li Zhouwei's spells. Otherwise, he genuinely wouldn't be willing to trade for Dui Metal!

Guo Nanwu nodded repeatedly, while Li Ximing raised an eyebrow and said, "This item is indeed precious, but the Heavenly Celestial Harmonic Formation Plate uses White Yingyao Gold as its base and Changhe Langxing for its patterns—both are excellent Nascent Soul-grade spiritual objects. This single Dui Metal, I'm afraid, might not be enough as compensation."

Guo Nanwu pondered repeatedly, opening his mouth as if to mention cultivation techniques, but matters of his ancestors had not been discussed with the island, so it was truly inconvenient to bring them up. Kuang Yu then raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "There's more to it. If you're building a formation, you'll inevitably need vast amounts of spiritual resources from within the sea. Moreover, the Heavenly Celestial path itself is exceedingly rare, and Daoist Minghuang conquered Changxiao, so these things are indispensable!"

Guo Nanwu clearly trusted her greatly, pondering as he nodded. Kuang Yu spoke softly, "How about this... I've calculated the time, and the Guo family already has few members. Even if this formation is built with full effort, it will take one to two decades, which is quite a distant prospect..."

She turned to Li Ximing and said amiably, "How about this: let him take the Eight Directions Court Spirit-Gathering Array first, so the Guo family's island in the South Sea can be established. Meanwhile, Daoist Zhaojing also needs someone to assist and manage affairs overseas. For the next twenty to thirty years, the Li clan can provide some basic spiritual resources, and Nanwu can run errands for Wangyue in the South Sea, occasionally lending a hand in matters within his ability that are not related to the North-South conflict. This can be seen as mutual assistance..."

Kuang Yu smiled and replied, "There's no need to worry about anything else. Once the grand array is established, if Nanwu hasn't encountered any trouble in these thirty years, then we can assess the situation and add one or two more spiritual resources for you, Daoist friend."

She said earnestly, "This matter has my and Qu'e Mountain's backing, so it's guaranteed! If it really doesn't work out, we can only offer some cultivation techniques as compensation for Daoist friend..."

This truly exceeded Li Ximing's expectations, causing him to turn his head in surprise and ponder. 'That's true...'

Currently, the matter of Qingyan has not yet been dealt with. Li Ximing still had contacts with several demon kings of the Boruo Dao, and in fact, he had elixirs and spiritual resources that could be exchanged. However, it was inconvenient to have minor cultivators transport these items, and he couldn't leave himself... so he could only sit fruitlessly on the mountain. Even the transaction with Nanshun Luozha, or the meeting with that person from Yinzhou, were originally things he should have handled. Yet, with numerous threats looming and Wangyue Lake needing protection, he couldn't leave promptly. It was hard enough to find Liu Changdie, who then had to guard the barbarians! These matters had piled up for so long that Li Zhouwei had to go out and handle these errands himself.

'If there were such a person, who outwardly maintained friendly relations with my family, visiting here occasionally or sending letters – excluding overly precious or secret items – and handling these elixirs, spiritual resources, and more common items... that would be quite useful...'

Li Ximing, however, was not at all covetous of those one or two spiritual resources. He also understood that Kuang Yu genuinely wished for the cultivators of Yue Kingdom to draw closer to her faction. But what truly made his heart stir was something else entirely!

Up until now, Li Jiangqian and Li Quewan had prospects of reaching the Nascent Soul stage, and at that point, another critical matter would arise: the Azure Seal!

'When the time comes, if we can find a demon from overseas with no powerful backing, and combine everyone's strength... it might just be possible... Even if a demon without backing is hard to find, having a Nascent Soul-grade combatant is always good!'

'The only pity is... the South Sea offers little benefit to my family, and it wouldn't be right to drag them into the North-South conflict.'

He pondered repeatedly, having no desire for their cultivation techniques at all, and chuckled, "We can certainly foster a good relationship. Since we've agreed on thirty years, we'll be good friends from now on. There's no need to be so rigid, and I wouldn't feel right asking Daoist friend for any spiritual resources!"

"This..." Guo Nanwu was slightly taken aback, a hint of unease on his face. He quickly returned the courtesy and said, "Senior Zhaojing..."

Li Ximing shook his head, stood up with a smile, and replied, "There's no need to be so polite!" He picked up the formation plate, placed it into Guo Nanwu's hands, and chuckled, "Since it's settled, let's not make Daoist Qinghu wait any longer. Please make haste!"

Although the formation plate was cold to the touch, Guo Nanwu held it as if it were a warm, precious treasure. He let out a long sigh of relief and exclaimed, "This junior will remember this kindness!"

He raised an eyebrow and looked at Kuang Yu, slightly startled to see her standing beside Li Ximing. The woman said with a beaming smile, "Congratulations! Daoist Zhaojing and I still have some minor matters to discuss, so I won't accompany you back. Immortal Ning is in Xinyu; you can go directly to her!"