Chapter 875: Tiansang Forest

Li Ximing settled down at the table, naturally discerning that the situation was far from simple. Waving his hand, he said, “Most sea demons are subordinates of the dragon lineage, especially those of the Zifu rank. Yet, you, fellow Daoist, seem unrelated to the dragon lineage. You’re friends with Buddhist cultivators but don't seem to practice their spiritual methods. That’s quite rare.”

After all, Buddhist cultivators are keen on so-called spirit beasts. They never miss an opportunity to capture any demon creature they encounter and bring it back to the Buddhist lands as a mount. Demons, in turn, utterly detest this practice, so there’s no logical reason for them to have good relations.

This demon elephant, however, was a Buddhist helper, yet showed no sign of Buddhist cultivation. When Li Ximing questioned it, it sighed and said, “It naturally has to do with my ancestors!”

Li Ximing neither confirmed nor denied. Given the demon’s appearance, resources, and situation, it was highly unlikely to be truly connected to some great figure; it was probably just invoking a big name. So, he feigned surprise and asked, “And who might that be?”

The demon looked at him hesitantly, then sighed. “Since you asked, fellow Daoist... it wouldn't be right to refuse you directly. My ancestors served under the Qi kingdom and later lived in the great desert. Twenty years ago, I broke through to the Zifu realm, left the north, and eventually came here. After all, the Qi kingdom fell many years ago, and I have no powerful backing. The dragon lineage isn't particularly keen on looking after me either... Fortunately, I found a place to cultivate.”

“I cultivate in the Si Sea region and don't get along with Ting Lei Island. I usually stay close to Da Kong Hai Temple, merely using them for support.”

Li Ximing found this strange. The four northern dynasties were Wei, Qi, Liang, and Zhao. The Qi kingdom was established when the Jie people entered the pass and replaced Wei, only to be later massacred by the Tuoba clan. Li Ximing's own family was often called 'Wei Li,' so relations certainly weren't amicable. No wonder the other party was so tense. Fortunately, the demon didn't practice Buddhist cultivation, so it wouldn't insist on dwelling on these karmic ties. How much truth lay in its words was unknown, but Li Ximing wasn't going to dwell on it. So, he nodded and said, “Fellow Daoist, living overseas, so close to the Buddhist lands, isn't that like plotting with a tiger for its skin? Are you not afraid of losing your independence and being absorbed into the Buddhist lands?”

Tuodu, seeing Li Ximing's calm tone and no intention of attacking, felt a tense string in his heart slightly loosen. He replied, “What else can I do? Fortunately, the one at Da Kong Hai Temple cannot move easily. They send some monks every day, which is incredibly annoying, but it's still better than being forced to flee and face mortal danger.”

“After all... not everyone is as amiable as you, fellow Daoist. The Tuoba clan still remembers me to this day, and several other sects are hoping to 'convert' me, even that Chunyi sect...” He stopped abruptly, shaking his head repeatedly. Li Ximing understood, sizing him up carefully, and asked cautiously, “In that case... do you cultivate Xi Qi?”

Xi Qi could neutralize Mingyang. Fortunately, this lineage was equally rare, and Li Ximing had never encountered it. If the other party cultivated the Qi kingdom's Xi Qi, that would be troublesome. Tuodu shook his head repeatedly and replied, “I don't have that fortune... I cultivate what my ancestors cultivated, which is Sha Qi.”

Li Ximing felt at ease. He stroked his beard and said, “That's also quite rare.” If Tuodu cultivated Xi Qi and had fallen into the Buddhist lands, then without a doubt, Li Ximing's family would have gained a powerful enemy. He seized the opportunity to ask, “May I ask the name of the Qi Emperor?”

“Qi Gaozu, Qiji Tanluo, his Han Chinese name was Shi Chang.” This demon, clearly a descendant of the Qi kingdom, spoke of its founding emperor quite casually. It looked at Li Ximing with some doubt and hesitated, “Fellow Daoist, you should be more familiar than I am. Qiji Tanluo pacified Crown Prince Li Xunquan of Wei, granted Hetao to the Helian family, and established the Tiefo Kingdom, which has risen and fallen over several generations and is still on the border of the Zhao kingdom today.”

Li Ximing was in Jiangnan, where news from the north was almost completely cut off by the Buddhist cultivators. Rarely encountering someone from there, he seized the chance to sit down and ask, “What is the situation in the North now?”

When asked about this, the demon's expression became animated. Clearly, it had explained this situation to others more than once. It sneered and replied, “What can it be like? Ever since Father Qiyan fell, the Zhao kingdom became a plaything. With the Seven Dao sects above, and four kings in the regions, along with eunuchs practicing Jueyin in the court, it's long been an empty shell. Father Qiyan thought he was killing his way in to be an emperor, but he ended up making his descendants into playthings.”

“To the west, the Liang Qiang are in chaos. To the east, the Yan kingdom is merely the Murong family. A bit further south, there's King Bolie of the Gao family, who has already unified the Qi lands; calling him the King of Qi wouldn't make much difference. Above them are the Tiefo Kingdom, the Tuoba clan... the imperial family, the court, the feudal lords, and the Mahas, all tangled together. It's much more chaotic than the south!”

The demon's expression finally showed some genuine sincerity. It sighed deeply: “This chaotic world... it's no place to stand out. Even if I've reached the Zifu realm, I still only think about fleeing as far as possible. Without a True Monarch as backing, an ancestor who achieved Golden Core, or a True Person for a father by my side, how could I dare to stand out in this situation? What's more... there's also Mount Luoxia.”

Li Ximing was astonished. He had known Zhao's situation was suffocating but hadn't realized it was this dire. The white elephant, having probed much and sensing Li Ximing bore little ill will, spoke continuously: “Fellow Daoist Li... I've also heard of your reputation... I hear your alchemy is unparalleled. My Sha Qi has become a divine ability, but it's useless without a proper elixir. I can't even produce the spiritual embryo to nourish my spiritual artifact anymore... Most cultivators within the seas are of the Sun Dao lineage... they look down on everyone. The surrounding sects ignore me, and Da Kong Hai Temple is even Buddhist... I hope that if there's an opportunity in the future, I can ask you, fellow Daoist, to refine some elixirs for me...”

As it was merely a chance encounter, Li Ximing was extremely cautious. Moreover, the other party was on the side of his enemies, which could easily lead to many unnecessary misunderstandings. He frowned and said, “Let's talk about that later. You should take care of yourself first, fellow Daoist. If you fall into the Buddhist lands, we will be enemies when we meet again.”

The two sat at the bottom of the sea, conversing for a long while. The demon indirectly discussed spiritual artifacts, elixirs, and formations, while Li Ximing subtly inquired about the situation in the north. Both understood each other implicitly. When the jade pendant in Li Ximing's sleeve flickered, it signaled that the situation in the west had been resolved.

“Farewell!” Li Ximing waved his sleeve, said no more, and vanished into the Void. The demon also sighed deeply, then gloatingly returned to its island.

He emerged from the Void onto the sea surface and indeed saw brilliant lights flickering on the western horizon. The Buddhist lands shimmered with a rosy glow, indicating that Zhusheng and the others had succeeded. “These cultivators from the South Sea and Southern Frontier are quite reliable... Indeed, simply standing with a side and presenting a front is much easier than engaging in combat oneself.” Li Ximing felt quite at ease, so he ascended on a beam of light and flew all the way towards Songzhou.

The islands of Songzhou varied in size, forming continuous archipelagos, but the main landmass was divided into three sections. Nanshun Luozha was in the southeasternmost corner, directly south of the current sea area and very close. Li Ximing arrived on a beam of light, crossing the strait to reach the place. As a Zifu cultivator, he was already near the top tier of power in this world. It was common for such individuals to carve out a small state and rule as king. As he descended, he found the forests here dark, the mountains low, and large areas demarcated yet desolate. Only upon reaching the central region did he see dense clusters of black palaces.

This group didn't look like good characters. Li Ximing carefully guided his light downwards, his gaze sweeping over the palace tops built around the hills, where he saw heavy chains and pervasive black energy. It was said that King Nanshun Luozha had cultivation at the mid-Zifu stage, practicing the path of Shamanic Talismans, and was naturally not to be trifled with. Li Ximing paused in the air and sent a spiritual message: “I am Li Ximing of Zhaojing, here to visit Nanshun Luozha. I ask the King to show himself for a meeting!”

Given the battle with the Buddhist cultivators, a Zifu-level figure from Nanshun Luozha must have gone, leaving one on the island. Regardless of who it was, Li Ximing addressed him as 'King.' After waiting a moment, a black-armored cultivator rose on the wind and said, “True Person, please come in!”

Li Ximing descended on a beam of light, passing through layers of pervasive black energy. Atop the mountain stood an enormous dharma seat, the size of a courtyard. A dharma body, holding a flower in one hand and forming a mudra with the other, sat within it, tall as a mountain, with eyes as large as carriages. Amidst the black energy, it resembled a world-destroying demon. Scattered across its knees, palms, and fingertips, black-robed cultivators sat in silent meditation. Although the celestial light emanating from Li Ximing was brilliant, it seemed minuscule before this dharma body. 'What a powerful Zifu dharma body...' The other party did not cultivate the Zifu Golden Core path, so naturally, his strength couldn't be quantified by divine abilities alone. However, True Person Ling Mei had mentioned that this person's strength was at the mid-Zifu stage, and likely more than half of it resided in his dharma body. Just one glance confirmed Li Ximing's suspicion that the dharma body was probably no weaker than any Maha. He offered a slight bow, and a dark light gathered before him, forming a black-robed, white-bearded old man who nodded and said, “Please!”

This was a body conjured by the other party's divine ability. As Li Ximing had a request, he naturally nodded with a smile and followed respectfully as a junior. Inside the palace, the old shaman said, “This king is currently activating his dharma body to observe Beidan from the Void, in case a great war erupts in the west. I apologize for the delay, fellow Daoist.”

“Not at all!”

The place was gloomy. Passing through the dark palace, all he saw were high-backed jade thrones. Li Ximing sat down with him, and the old man eerily said, “My surname is Dilutian, and my common name is Sanglin. I was originally a Shanyue from Yue country. Later, while adventuring outside, I faced many inconveniences, so I took the character 'tian' from my surname. You can call me Tian Sanglin.”

“Your esteemed family's reputation... I had heard of it early on. Both Jiao Zhongzi and Huoluo E have cultivated on my island. From then... I knew of your Li family.”

At these words, Li Ximing was first stunned, finding the two names extremely familiar, then suddenly realized. When Duanmu Kui died, the Wushan cultivators dispersed. Among them, Jiao Zhongzi was the strongest. When the Li family campaigned westward against the Shanyue, Jiao Zhongzi disappeared, having gone out to break through to the Zifu realm. By the time they reached the westernmost part of Shanyue, the only remaining Wushan Foundation Establishment cultivator, Huoluo E, had also fled and vanished. Over the years, the Li family had encountered many powers and visited many places, yet never heard news of these two. They had thought they were hiding at the ends of the earth, living carefree lives, but unexpectedly, they were here in Nanshun Luozha. “They're actually from my Yue country!” Li Ximing, contemplating this, paused slightly and asked, “Senior Duanmu... is he...”

Tian Sanglin said faintly, “I received kindness from Senior Duanmu. Although he cultivated the Zifu Golden Core path, his shamanic arts could be called unparalleled through the ages. In my early years, I often visited the mountain. Although Jiao Zhongzi and Huoluo E were older, they originally didn't know about someone like me.”

“It's just that... I had a junior, Di Lutianfu, who cultivated on Mount Wushan and was friends with them. He informed them of this escape route. So, when things happened at Wushan, those two visited me one after another, but my junior unfortunately met his demise breaking through on Mount Wushan.”

“So that's how it is!” Li Ximing secretly nodded, realizing, 'Back then, Master even went to Mount Wushan once, just to retrieve Di Lutianfu's relics. It wasn't because he had any particular friendship with Xiao Chuchou, but rather that this person found it inconvenient to go to Wushan himself, so he entrusted True Person Xiao to retrieve the relics!' 'And the Bone-Cutting and Skin-Changing art he obtained was also from Nanshun Luozha...' But just as his doubts were cleared, a chill ran through him, and he asked, “The one from Nanshun Luozha who recently broke through to Zifu... is it Jiao Zhongzi?”

The old shaman let out two unpleasant laughs from his throat, looked up slightly, and replied, “Indeed!”

Li Ximing's heart instantly sank. 'What you fear most often comes to pass...' The Li family's early relations with the Shanyue were hardly harmonious. Occupying Shanyue territory meant nothing to a Zifu cultivator, but Jiao Zhongzi had left a subordinate and a mount on Mount Wushan back then. It was possible there were some emotional ties, which would make things awkward... Li Ximing's brows furrowed instantly, but Tian Sanglin cleared his throat and softly said, “He has already shed his past connections. The affairs of Mount Wushan are long unrelated to Jiao Zhongzi. He cannot, and dare not, take on that karma.”

Li Ximing understood. A dignified Zifu cultivator, if there was anything he dared not touch, it was naturally that immortal book from back then... Duanmu Kui had received it from an immortal, so he could be reckless. But after him, who would dare to touch such a thing? Who would dare to touch the Wushan lineage? Li Ximing sighed, “One thing at a time. My family did offend him in the end. When the time comes, I'll offer two spiritual elixirs as a small compensation, to show my good intentions.”

Halfway through their conversation, an old man came up, holding a jade tray, and bowed respectfully: “Reporting to the Great King... the treasure has been retrieved from the palace!” Li Ximing's heart rejoiced. He looked in the direction of the voice. The jade tray was the size of a tabletop, entirely greenish-blue, and in its center lay a golden yue-axe. The golden yue-axe had a long handle, about three feet in length. Its blade corners curved like crescent moons, appearing not rough but rather delicate and small. Scales and beast patterns undulated across its surface, showcasing a heavy, thick bronze-gold color, faintly reflecting shimmering silver light. 'A spiritual artifact!' These overseas people were not as particular as those in Jiangnan. Inland, there would surely be polite exchanges first, and only after Li Ximing stated his purpose would the item be brought out. But King Nanshun Luozha, while chatting casually, had already had it brought over! Li Ximing examined it carefully. Apart from its inherent beast-scale patterns, the spiritual artifact had no other designs anywhere. Only on its two sides were small, simplified star charts, with very shallow lines, as if not wanting to disrupt the sense of solidity on its surface. He was now very familiar with this diagram; it was the Chongyang Jurisdiction Star Chart. With one side showing a front view and the other a reverse, it was clear this spiritual artifact was meant to be hung and had a definite front. Li Ximing was deeply moved by what he saw and asked, “Senior... may I ask the name of this spiritual artifact?”

Tian Sanglin leaned on his throne and said in a hoarse voice, “The Huayang King's Yue-Axe, an item from the Donghuo Grotto-Heaven. It shatters evil and filth, subdues disloyal subjects, illuminates mountains and rivers, shines upon the common people, and wields the divine ability of 'Scarlet Cluster Severance.' It can bear the weight of ten thousand chariots and sweep away all difficulties.”