Chapter 820: Holding True with Martial Arts

Li Zhouwei pondered deeply and replied, "The cultivation method you acquired, Lord, has a history spanning a hundred years, starting in the sea and then moving to the lake. Everything was orchestrated so that dragons couldn't come ashore and Luoxia couldn't control the sea. If this involves divine power, who could wield such immense influence? Perhaps, Lord, you are simply fated for this."

When Li Zhouwei finished speaking, his words seemed to be merely an expression of wonder directed at Li Qinghong, but to both of them, they held a different meaning. "Who could wield such immense influence?" Both of them had an answer in their hearts, but they dared not speak it, nor even contemplate it. Since they harbored suspicions, they could only cling to the idea of fate and dared not bring up anything else.

Li Qinghong immediately said softly, "This matter... must begin with the North-South conflict. Back then, the True Qi lineage's Grotto-Heaven opened widely. Although it appeared that the True Monarch had gone beyond the heavens and the various Purple Palaces were acting on their own, in reality, Jin Yu led the way, acting on the Immortal Decree of True Monarch Taiyuan, to test the state of the True Qi lineage's Attainment Realm."

"As soon as the Grotto-Heaven opened, three Divine Fiends of Heavenly Martial True Qi emerged. I heard they were all from True Monarch Tianwu himself... Then you all know... True Monarch Tianwu was not pleased."

Li Qinghong took some tea leaves from a white porcelain jar nearby, shaking them into the pot. Her slender hands complemented the jade teapot beautifully. Li Zhouwei asked doubtfully, "Just based on three divine fiends, they could determine the True Monarch's message?"

Li Qinghong whispered, "When Anhuai Heaven was established, True Monarch Tianwu dominated the region, and all demons and monsters ceased their activities. He took out three pieces of armor, placed them in three different locations within Anhuai Heaven, left a message, and then departed beyond the heavens."

"This message was..." Her expression showed a hint of reverence as she said, "'When the armors live, divine fiends rise. When the armors die, Heavenly Martial True Qi hangs vacant. Successors are invited to ascend.'"

"Then, over the next ten years, these three pieces of armor gradually grew skin and flesh, becoming two men and one woman. Their faces and voices were just like living people. All of them achieved great divine powers and guarded Anhuai until Anhuai was sealed off, the State of Ning was destroyed, and they were never seen again."

"During the North-South conflict, the various Purple Palaces entered Anhuai Heaven, but found no one and no armors, only the three Divine Fiends of Heavenly Martial True Qi remaining."

She shook her head and said, "This truly benefited Jiangbei. One portion was obtained by Changhuai Mountain of the Wu Kingdom, another by Ziyan, and the last one vanished due to True Person Chengyan's negligence, which led to the demise of a Purple Palace from the South Sea."

"These three divine fiends were extremely important. All cultivators... especially the Purple Palaces, but particularly the Golden Feather Sect, which gained nothing... were very dissatisfied with him. Even Changhuai Mountain and the Dragon Kin, who obtained True Qi, showed him no courtesy. Those with worse tempers... like Heng Li of Hengzhu and Ping Yan of Yinzhou, were all clamoring to attack him."

Li Zhouwei shook his head repeatedly and replied, "No wonder it's said that Chengyan can't travel much outside and dares not leave the inner sea. So that's how it is."

Li Qinghong continued, "That Jin also turned into a malevolent spirit. This thing is very fierce. Because it was left by True Monarch Tianwu, it possesses a trace of the True Monarch's status. It's even more terrifying when no one occupies the Attainment Realm; even a Purple Palace would have to avoid it... What's more, it transformed from one of those three pieces of armor, and its intelligence is no less than that of an ordinary person. Currently, no one knows where it's hiding, and it absolutely refuses to come out."

Li Zhouwei listened, then let out a deep breath and replied, "Even a single piece of armor possesses such power. To ascend to the Attainment Realm should be like True Monarch Tianwu, leaving behind armor to suppress the world, seeking greater heights for oneself, and having no regrets even in death."

Li Qinghong nodded slightly, clearly also holding True Monarch Tianwu in high regard. She nodded and said, "He was a genius of recent antiquity and an upright individual. I heard that when his younger sister died, her name appeared on the Netherworld Registry. As a True Monarch, he could have used his divine powers to retrieve her soul, but True Monarch Tianwu respected the order of the Netherworld and refused to act selfishly. Later, he personally traveled to the Netherworld to exchange for her return."

Li Zhouwei briefly processed the information, then suddenly had a doubt and asked, "True Monarch Taiyuan is a prominent figure in the current age, actively involved in many matters, and cultivators from the Golden Feather Sect can even enter and exit the Grotto-Heaven for cultivation. Since Jin Yu gained nothing and the Jin transformed into a malevolent spirit, why didn't the True Monarch personally intervene to capture it?"

Li Qinghong had clearly considered this long ago. After all, there were still True Monarchs in existence both within and beyond the seas, and there was no reason to allow something that even Golden Core cultivators would covet to transform into a malevolent spirit and roam freely. She replied, "I have already inquired. It concerns the Netherworld. Once a Jin transforms into a malevolent spirit, it must be captured by the Netherworld itself. If the Netherworld does not send someone to capture it, a True Monarch also has no right to intervene... This is a matter within their jurisdiction... If True Monarch Taiyuan were to act, it would be extremely disrespectful."

She furrowed her slender brows, seemingly searching for words to convey the seriousness of the matter. She gave an analogy: "It's like going to Luoxia, standing at the foot of the mountain, intercepting the forty-eight rays of light flying successively across the sky, preventing them from returning to the peak of Luoxia Mountain, and then stealing one or two of them."

"Oh..." "Oh..." Li Zhouwei immediately understood. Luoxia and the Netherworld were both unique, top-tier powers. Luoxia was more frequently manifest in the world, inspiring greater awe, but the Netherworld, which gathered all the demons and malevolent spirits in the world, possessed a formidable authority that could not be underestimated.

As Li Qinghong's words ceased, the tea in front of them boiled, and the lid of the jade teapot trembled slightly. She poured a cup for Li Zhouwei; it was a pale purple tea. She said softly, "This is tea from the 'Winter Sound Fall' tea tree, given by someone else and planted in Liehai. This is the first harvest this year."

Li Zhouwei thanked her, then first examined the tea. Its leaves had golden and silver veins and were snow-white. Upon tasting it carefully, he felt a numbness from the tip of his tongue all the way to his stomach, followed by a surge of rich spiritual energy that swept away all fatigue.

The taste, however, was only numbness; it certainly wasn't delicious. Li Zhouwei swallowed and replied, "Good!"

Li Qinghong, however, was in high spirits and asked, "This is the first thing I've ever planted. Although my sense of taste is now very different from ordinary people, I can probably guess some of its flavor... it should be pretty good."

"Mmm, mmm, mmm." When the tea was first poured, it was just ordinary spiritual tea water, but this Thunder Pool was an exceptionally miraculous place. The thunderous power from heaven and earth, drawn by the tea, rapidly gathered. Li Zhouwei vaguely felt a tingling sensation at the Baihui acupuncture point on his head, as if lightning was about to strike from the heavens.

'This teacup cannot be held...' Li Qinghong, of course, was fine; no lightning in heaven or earth would strike her. Li Zhouwei, on the other hand, calmly and quickly put down the teacup. Seeing Li Qinghong smiling with pursed lips, he shook his head with a hint of embarrassment.

Her pale purple almond eyes blinked, her vermilion lips parted slightly, and she smiled, "If it's not good, it's not good. You cannot lie in this place. In ancient times, if people swore to the heavens, lightning would be the retribution. No lies are allowed in the Thunder Pool. It's only because you are fated that you're spared; if it were anyone else, the lightning would have already struck."

"If you say it's good, then later when I entertain other guests, they'll be numbed by the tea and have to say it's good too..." Li Qinghong couldn't help but laugh, and refilled his cup, saying, "If Xizhi were to visit, I'm sure he'd also say it's good. If lightning struck... Xizhi could handle it, but Wushao's small body couldn't withstand the lightning. Even with me here, it wouldn't be reduced to ashes, but it would turn into a roasted snake."

Li Zhouwei nodded awkwardly. Seeing Li Qinghong still refilling his cup, the tip of his tongue began to tingle, and he didn't know whether he should drink it. He quickly changed the subject, "Aunt Ancestor, have you heard any news about the True Person?"

Only then did Li Qinghong put down the jade teapot and replied, "That day, he was pursued to this place, and I legitimately intervened and intercepted Changxiao. Changxiao is very cunning. The moment he saw me, he feared offending a dragon, so his actions were hesitant and he circled around and vanished by the next day."

"We didn't fight for long. He originally didn't have much will to fight. The more he fought, the more he sensed something was wrong, and he fled immediately. Now, he's probably hiding in some corner observing the situation; he's a menace."

Li Qinghong's expression became serious as she replied, "He has thoroughly offended you all, and now it's an irreconcilable feud. Although he dares not harm you, he has no qualms about harming Ximing..."

"As for Ximing... he was hit by Douxuan's spell. At first, I was quite worried, but who knew that just a few years later, he's back to being lively, sent letters home, and has even established ties with the Tantai family!"

Li Zhouwei breathed a sigh of relief, pondered for a moment, and asked, "There is one matter, however, that might trouble you, Lord."

He took out a jade box from his sleeve, placed it on the table, and replied, "I assassinated Situ Mo and also seized a magical artifact from a Changxiao Sect disciple. It's a water-element artifact of good quality. I've studied and inquired about it for a long time and discovered that the artifact has a Changxiao Sect mark within it, a very advanced technique that can be detected by Changxiao disciples within a certain range..."

"This water-element artifact has some renown, but I'm afraid it might be detected if held. Although I'm fine, I can't pass it on to my clan's descendants, and trading it would significantly reduce its value. I'm currently interested in another artifact, but this issue has delayed me."

He raised his head, placed his hand on the cup, then immediately relaxed it, and said, "If you, Lord, have a suitable magical artifact for exchange here, that would be most convenient."

Li Qinghong glanced at it and replied, "Let me see it, save you the trouble of running around. Since you have something in mind, it's naturally best to neutralize the harm this item poses."

She smiled, then changed the subject: "Of course, this place of mine was hastily established, and I don't have many magical artifacts for you to exchange with."

Li Zhouwei nodded and opened the jade box. Inside, he saw a small, shimmering green gourd. Its brilliant spiritual light was suppressed by the profound thunder from the heavens, making it appear faintly dim.

Li Qinghong extended her slender hand, and the gourd was immediately drawn by magnetic force into her grasp. She glanced at it twice.

"Boom!" Immediately, a bolt of heavenly thunder descended, striking the gourd with a resounding crash. Purple lightning bathed it, and a plume of dark black smoke spewed from the gourd, instantly dissipating within this thunder-filled secret realm.

The small green gourd immediately looked brand new, with even its previous owner's mark washed away. Li Qinghong nodded: "This item is indeed quite wondrous, likely passed down from ancient times. It seems that it was originally intended to be refined into a highly advanced 'Lushui' (Clear Water) artifact, but midway through its refinement, perhaps due to insufficient materials or some unexpected event, it was repurposed into a 'Fushui' (Abundant Water) artifact."

She paused briefly, then said softly, "Yuanzi!" The white-robed female attendant who had guided him in earlier entered from outside the pavilion, knelt firmly on the ground, and respectfully received the gourd from Li Qinghong's hands. Li Qinghong said, "Take this artifact to the Yingshou Clan at the bottom of the sea. Instruct them to modify it, to see if its color and appearance can be changed while its power increases without diminishing, then return to the Thunder Pool to report back."

"Zhouwei... do you have any requests?" Yuanzi nodded respectfully, holding the artifact and standing to the side. Only now did Li Zhouwei truly get a sense of being in a Dragon Kin territory. He quickly said, "I don't have many requirements, just make sure this item doesn't clash with Taiyin or Kanshui!"

Li Qinghong, however, shook her head and smiled, "Liehai was originally part of the outer sea, not very well-known, and considered a subsidiary of Jiaohai. Jiaohai only sent subordinates to exploit it, and the local demons and cultivators lived difficult lives."

"After the Thunder Pool was established, they all came under my jurisdiction. There was one less layer of exploitation, and I ask for little, so they are all very grateful. Send the artifact over, and they will surely craft it perfectly for you."

Li Zhouwei gave a heartfelt smile and nodded, "There's no need to go to too much trouble. Ultimately, it's meant to be traded to someone else. If it costs too much, I won't be willing to part with it."

Only then did Li Qinghong turn her head and say, "No need to be too extravagant; follow Young Master's wishes."

"Yes!" Yuanzi bowed and withdrew with the artifact. Li Zhouwei then said, "According to your words, Lord, the Jin is now with Changhuai Mountain and True Person Zipei. True Person Zipei has already reincarnated..."

At this point, he showed hesitation. Li Qinghong interrupted, "True Person Zipei of the Ziyan Sect obtained a portion of True Qi, but she didn't use it for reincarnation. Instead, she gave it to the Dragon Kin. Purple Qi is very close to True Qi, yet she refused it... I heard from the Dragon Kin that, firstly, she was attempting to reach the Purple Qi Attainment Realm and didn't want to leave any lingering doubts in her heart, which would hinder her ascent. Secondly, she had no choice but to give it up; even if she reincarnated, she wouldn't achieve her desired outcome. An ordinary Jin would be one thing, but this portion... would require the Dragon Monarch to personally intervene! Perhaps it would even result in boundless karmic slaughter."

Li Zhouwei nodded understandingly. Li Qinghong's expression, however, showed a hint of unease as she replied, "However, according to the Dragon Kin, Zipei's exchange seems to have perfected my Thunder Body. Without her, after absorbing the thunder, it's highly probable that nothing would have remained of me. I hope that if I encounter any cultivators from the Ziyan Sect in the future, I will take good care of them..."

"If there's an opportunity, our family should try its best to maintain good relations with this sect... at least avoid any conflicts. Not only would it be difficult for me caught in the middle, but I also fear being exploited by those with ulterior motives."

Her words indeed surprised Li Zhouwei. Li Zhouwei's expression became serious, and he nodded, saying, "I will find an opportunity to mention this to the family... So this Jin is that important... important enough to provoke the Dragon Monarch to act?"

Li Qinghong replied, "Now... the re-establishment of the True Qi Attainment Realm is a foregone conclusion, so this Jin is naturally important. A few years ago, Dragon King Muhai visited and mentioned an even more crucial point..."

Her expression was complex as she replied, "True Qi... The dragons don't just hope to get a share; they *must* get a share. Even Dragon Monarch Xiyang's intervention in the matter of True Monarch Shangyuan was partly so that this True Qi could descend into the world..."

Li Zhouwei hesitated, pondering, then asked, "Could it be... that True Qi has an important use for the Dragon Kin to advance further?"

Li Qinghong nodded, leaning forward slightly. Her voice, though soft, was as heavy as thunder as she said, "'The First Divine Fiend of Heavenly Martial True Qi: divine mystery within, fierce might overflowing without, righteousness curbs excess, benevolence and majesty boundless, not solitary, not isolated, intertwined serpents as form, balanced yin and yang as heart – slays demons and monsters, upholds martial truth!'"

"'The First Divine Fiend of Heavenly Martial True Qi: divine mystery within, fierce might overflowing without, righteousness curbs excess, benevolence and majesty boundless, not solitary, not isolated, intertwined serpents as form, balanced yin and yang as heart – slays demons and monsters, upholds martial truth!'"

"True Dragon, True Dragon..."

"How can 'truth' be missing?"