Chapter 775: 绶鱼

The Cape.

The sky was azure. A streak of escape light sped by, leaving a bright red trail across the sky as it headed towards a place where spiritual energy was sparse. After flying for most of the day, it finally descended onto an island, transforming into a woman.

The woman wore a somewhat loose brown Daoist robe. Over it, incongruously, was a tapestry-woven silk robe, and on her feet were cotton boots dyed autumn yellow. The ensemble barely looked coordinated.

After a moment of discernment, she flew towards the center of the island. Gradually, she saw the ground covered with wild people. She secretly nodded to herself, thinking:

"Once I've finished observing these, I can take this group away. We can bring them back to the temple to reclaim barren mountains. Just leaving a few thousand as a 'seed' population should be enough..."

She flew to the center of the island. As expected, she saw a large azure hot spring whose waters surged ceaselessly, and surprisingly, its spiritual energy was quite abundant. She was immediately overjoyed:

"Once I've collected the item, if this spring remains, it could be very useful."

"However... I heard that demon cultivator say there's a flame source beneath it. If the item is moved, this large spring will probably vanish too."

Thinking of this, she sneered:

"That Feng fellow has a good plan, doesn't he? How dare he try to snatch my Li Shuai Fire-Avoiding Hood. Pledging the Wuting Talisman Brush as collateral is one thing, but the item is still mine... Where does he think he's taking it?"

With a gentle toss, the Li Shuai Fire-Avoiding Hood immediately transformed into a red light that enveloped the area. She meticulously probed, ensuring the hot spring had no issues, before submerging herself.

This woman's cultivation was much higher, and her speed was incomparable to that of the two junior cultivators. She quickly flew to the bottom of the hot spring, following the earth's ley lines downwards. After a quarter of an hour, she entered the blazing inferno.

Xia Shouyu's cultivation was not shallow. She immediately showed signs of pleasant surprise:

"Indeed, there's fire beneath the spring water."

She grasped a wisp of flame and examined it carefully. Her heart filled with surprise:

"It's an artifice flame... not natural fire. There might truly be a cultivator's remains beneath... To possess such power after death, they must have at least reached Foundation Establishment."

The woman moved cautiously, but her eyes in the flame began to show hesitation:

"Why is it a Qi Condensation ninth-layer...?"

Li Ximing had waited there for another half month. His luck was surprisingly good; a second person arrived almost immediately. After observing for just a few moments and considering the person's words, he instantly understood the situation.

"The one who previously killed for treasure has also been killed. It seems the killer was the creditor who lent out the Li Shuai Fire-Avoiding Hood. They must have revealed their whereabouts in a market or somewhere else and were discovered. The East Sea is truly chaotic after all... Another life gone."

Li Ximing quickly dismissed this thought, feeling a touch of bitterness. The ends of the earth could never compare to the prosperous lands of Jiangnan, the center of the world. This godforsaken place was barren; despite all his efforts to lure someone, he hadn't seen even a trace of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

This Xia Shouyu in front of him must be one of the top figures in this region. She could easily retrieve her own magical artifact, and could even be considered a local magnate.

"Indeed... Those who can reach Foundation Establishment certainly wouldn't come to this remote corner. Wouldn't it be better to go to the near seas, to Hetian, and pledge allegiance to a power, rather than 'eating dirt' in this spiritual-energy-sparse ends of the earth?"

A Qi Condensation ninth-layer cultivator it is then. This wretched place wouldn't offer anyone better, so Li Ximing could only grit his teeth and accept it. Watching her move step by step through the flames, he felt a little awkward.

"A junior Qi Condensation cultivator from the East Sea... probably wouldn't want to get involved with Purple Mansion matters. She wouldn't easily trust a righteous facade. It seems I really have to use a demonic facade. Threatening and enticing her might actually make her feel more at ease!"

Li Ximing mused that he had once met an old ghost in the East Sea who claimed to be righteous. This ghost asked him to bring demonic beasts for blood sacrifices, promising great rewards after they were released. Li Ximing himself didn't believe it; he was sure it was best to run as far as possible!

Moreover, looking at her attire, it had a somewhat patchwork feel. Even as a local magnate, she probably wouldn't have a very extensive background. She likely wouldn't even know the stance of the Purple Mansion...

"To bring a Foundation Establishment demonic beast here, it's not necessarily something only a Foundation Establishment cultivator can accomplish. There are simply too many ways to trick a demonic beast to this place. A Qi Condensation cultivator might not be incapable. And conveniently, she's Qi Condensation ninth-layer, so she'd be easy to find."

Xia Shouyu, on the other hand, was already ecstatic. If the timing weren't so inappropriate, she could have danced right there:

"A Foundation Establishment cultivator's legacy! That's a Foundation Establishment cultivator! If there's a Foundation Establishment artifact, my family will be rich!"

She quickly took steps to resist the flames, carefully exploring the surroundings. She also released talismans to detect anything, ensuring everything was safe. Only then did she approach the skeletal remains and released a magical light to retrieve the storage pouch on the ground.

"Poof!"

But as soon as her magical light extended from her hand, the surrounding flames immediately surged forward, devouring the magical light completely. In an instant, it turned into smoke and vanished.

Xia Shouyu hesitated for a moment. She could only bend down, extend her arm, and carefully pick it up.

"Clack."

"Clack."

An extremely faint scraping sound suddenly drifted into her ears. Xia Shouyu's heart was seized with terror. She swiftly tried to retract her hand like lightning, but found she couldn't pull it away no matter how hard she tugged. Her arm felt icy cold, and something pressed painfully against it.

A skeletal arm had already risen. Its five clearly defined fingers were firmly gripping her wrist.

Xia Shouyu's hair stood on end. All her spiritual power surged frantically into her arm. The movement technique she had practiced for years abruptly activated, and her other hand instinctively reached for the storage pouch at her waist.

She couldn't move!

Her spiritual power was like a bottomless black hole, and all her attempts to move were fruitless. Xia Shouyu was frozen in place like a statue, unable to budge.

Li Ximing pressed her down in front of him. Dealing with a Qi Condensation cultivator was naturally effortless for him. The skin on his face slowly emerged; of course, he didn't show his true face. Instead, he deliberately chose a face that looked the least like a good person.

As he thought this, a sinister face immediately appeared in his mind. It had long eyebrows and gray eyes, looking fierce and malicious, appearing as if it could devour someone at any moment.

Li Yuanjiao.

"Second Uncle..."

Li Ximing paused very slightly.

Memories often came so suddenly, like an unreasonable brute force, an unheralded hurricane, violently crashing into Li Ximing's mind. This True Person Zhaojing had been desperately pursued by a Grand True Person, nearly losing his life in the East Sea. Even at the brink of death, he hadn't shed a tear. Yet now, his eyes were red.

"Damn it."

Li Ximing cursed inwardly. His face, however, quickly flickered, finally becoming a blank, featureless visage. Though it had no sinister expression, it was more terrifying than any other face.

Xia Shouyu, across from him, remained silent.

After all, she couldn't move. She couldn't utter a sound even if she wanted to. The pupils of her eyes were dilated to their limit, as if she might faint at any moment.