Chapter 926: Far Change

The old domain name has been compromised; please remember the new one.

Li Ximing secretly observed him, sitting still. He said softly, "This elixir is extraordinarily miraculous. Therefore, its difficulty, I presume, you understand as well. I have some friends in Jiangnan who possess a Violet Palace Spirit Furnace. If I were to leverage a favor and borrow it, the chance of success in refining the elixir would be at least seventy percent."

The Demon King let out a laugh, rose from his seat, his face full of joy, and declared loudly, "If you can guarantee seventy percent, then this business can certainly be done!"

Seeing the Demon King's eagerness, Li Ximing understood he was keen on this undertaking. However, this was not a matter for one party alone. If the elixir failed, it would needlessly antagonize a noble scion, and Li Ximing feared trouble. After much deliberation, he still advised, "You should still be more cautious... After all, this is a precious spiritual object. If anything goes wrong, the loss would be considerable!"

Fuxun, however, turned his red-and-white eyes towards him, moved his lips, and whispered, "Let me tell you, I have some influence in this region. Near the land of Xipo, there's a demon cave whose master is a close friend of mine. His Daoist name is Qingyan, and he practices the Dao of Qingxuan!"

"Oh?!"

Li Ximing immediately grew very interested. Qingxuan, though seemingly distant, was also close at hand; his neighbors, the Yuan family, practiced Qingxuan and were considered unique in Jiangnan, yet they had been unable to break through to the Violet Palace realm, causing their distinguished lineage to lose its luster. He had not expected to encounter a practitioner of Qingxuan in this remote demon land. Li Ximing nodded with a smile, already understanding Fuxun's meaning, and asked, "Is it... the Rite of Supplication?"

The Great Saha King nodded proudly, lifting his chin, and replied, "You truly are an Immortal of Jiangnan; indeed, you are well-informed! The Dao of Qingxuan—few in the entire Southern Border have even heard of it!"

Li Ximing pondered for a moment, then reminded him, "Although traces of the Rite of Supplication still exist in Jiangnan, I have rarely heard of it being able to assist in elixir refining. We should still verify it beforehand."

"Naturally!" Fuxun said with a serious expression, "Of the so-called 'Three Sorceries and Two Rites,' these two rites are the Balance Rite and Qingxuan. My brother is also of noble lineage and possesses considerable cultivation. Furthermore... you mustn't forget me!"

He smiled faintly, his red-and-white eyes blinking, appearing even more uncanny: "I cultivate Auspicious Qi, which inherently allows me to perceive fortune, misfortune, safety, and danger, and bless with great luck. With the three of us working together, if this elixir still fails, there might be no other way to succeed!"

"That is indeed good..." The other party possessed the Auspicious Qi divine ability, and since they could converse so smoothly, it indicated that the ability was functioning normally, which was beneficial in itself. Thus, Li Ximing felt slightly relieved. He looked at Fuxun and said softly, "In that case, I will need to borrow the spirit furnace. As for your spirit fire..."

Only then did Fuxun perk up. He stroked his chin, pondering for a long time before replying, "Actually, stealing is the most convenient method. On the Western Heaven Plateau, there's the Sheng Bai Hall, where someone who cultivates Shaoyang practices some elixir refining. They definitely possess a spirit fire, and it's quite powerful, called the Jue Gong Xiang Fire."

Li Ximing simply declined politely, "There's no need to consider the Shaoyang fire. The spirit fire I wish to acquire must be from the virtue of fire, and specifically not a 'merged fire'!"

If absolutely necessary, taking action would be inevitable. However, the other party was secretly intending to draw him into opposition with Sheng Bai Hall. Li Ximing was naturally unwilling and firmly insisted on pressuring him.

Seeing him narrow down the scope, Fuxun pondered intently and finally identified a target. He whispered, "South from here, near the northern part of the South Sea, there's a major kingdom in the Southern Border. Its capital is on a large southern island, named Zhu Luo Kingdom. The former ruler passed away long ago, his body transforming into spirit fire which was then divided among various families. Only a new ruler, who just broke through to the Violet Palace realm, remains. I suspect he still possesses some spirit fire."

Li Ximing immediately saw his intention to take advantage of the situation and understood that this fellow was quite cunning. He frowned and said, "Either you acquire the spirit fire yourself first, or you and I trade for it with him. I will not tolerate any actions that threaten or create enmity under my name."

"Naturally," Fuxun said, cupping his hands, his tone almost ingratiating. "After all, you still need to refine the elixir... How could I possibly interfere with that? My point is, he's currently in a difficult and financially strained situation. You could provide him with some elixirs, and I, in turn, could promise him certain conditions and offer protection for a few years..."

The demon chuckled evilly, saying with a hint of wickedness, "He's already in a bind and can't afford to offend me. There's a high probability he'll agree to coercion and inducement at this moment!"

"Very well." Li Ximing didn't care whether his promises would be fulfilled. As long as he provided the elixirs, he would be clear of the matter. He reminded Fuxun, "If you discuss it with him, I want to be present."

Fuxun assented, silently observing him for a moment before replying, "It's just that he cultivates Lihuo. Are you capable of refining elixirs for that?"

"That shouldn't be a problem." Although Li Ximing did not possess elixir formulas for Lihuo elixirs, he had his own alchemy skills and had acquired the Celestial Heart Unity Elixir Method, so he was confident he could satisfy these demon kings from remote lands. He then said softly, "You can go ahead and ask him. If he doesn't have any urgent elixirs to refine, just tell me what he needs, and I will refine them for him. The quantity of successful elixirs will not disappoint him."

At this point, he paused slightly and smiled, "As for the materials for refining the elixir... that will be at your discretion."

In fact, Li Ximing happened to have Lihuo Violet Palace materials, specifically the Rushing Lihuo Treasure Leaves, given to him by Ning Wan when she visited Moonlit Lake years ago, which were perfectly suitable for this elixir. However, Li Ximing had now gained the upper hand and naturally intended for Fuxun to provide the materials.

The Great Saha King pondered for a moment, appearing somewhat helpless, and shook his head, "I hope you won't laugh at me, but a few years ago, to acquire the Undying Golden Cloud, I spent all the spiritual resources I had accumulated over the years... Otherwise, I wouldn't always be resorting to fighting and plundering for resources... But these materials should indeed come from me... Let's see what he requests."

Seeing his unexpected sincerity, Li Ximing nodded in agreement, already feeling a little impatient, and asked, "When shall we go to meet that demon king?"

"There's no rush for that," Fuxun chuckled, lowering his voice. "A friend from Jiangnan I mentioned earlier, whose Daoist name is Yuanbian, was in secluded cultivation at sea and only emerged last year. I've invited him to join us to add some prestige and intimidate the Zhu Luo King."

Li Ximing then nodded and simply engaged in a discussion of the Dao with him in the courtyard. As they spoke of spiritual methods, it became clear that the Great Saha King indeed possessed considerable cultivation, and his Auspicious Qi was a rare sight in the world, which allowed Li Ximing to gain much.

Furthermore, the Demon King's temperament was not as tyrannical as imagined; he was even quite witty and straightforward. After conversing a bit longer, Li Ximing could still sense his extreme importance attached to this elixir. Fuxun pressed at his tea, appearing quite anxious, so Li Ximing could only say, "The spiritual object is indeed precious, and this elixir formula is rather extreme. Have you considered using a different method?"

Fuxun merely shook his head and said slowly, "The Undying Golden Cloud is extraordinary. Our lineage records that a certain True Monarch used this item before achieving Dao, when he had just reached the Violet Palace realm. He used 'Three Clouds and One Stone,' with a Grand Yin foundation, to achieve a single talisman... Among these 'Three Clouds and One Stone' were the Undying Golden Cloud and the Fu Yuan Tai Mi."

Li Ximing calculated in his mind and chuckled wryly, "Just having reached Violet Palace... and he used four top-tier Violet Palace spiritual objects to refine a talisman?"

"Far from it!" Fuxun laughed heartily, a look of reverence on his face, and replied, "I heard that the Grand Yin foundation material was far superior to even the Undying Golden Cloud and Fu Yuan Tai Mi! Otherwise, how could he be a True Monarch?"

He silently shook his head and continued, "This elixir also draws its meaning from that talisman, taking the True Monarch's talisman refining as its essence. Back then, the True Monarch refined a talisman, so now, what we refine will be an elixir. As for Qingxuan's blessing, even if you had a hundred percent certainty, I would still invite him... After all, we must draw upon the legend..."

From the perspective of the elixir formula, Li Ximing saw it as simply a method of refining. However, drawing inspiration from ancient masters was never merely a psychological comfort; it was always genuinely useful. Even to this day, Jiangnan cultivators exhibited some strange behaviors, reaching the absurd point of needing to break a weapon before activating a formation...

Just two days and nights later, a commotion arose from outside, and someone called out, "Is Senior Fuxun present? Yuanbian has come to visit!"

This voice made Li Ximing look up slightly, a strange frown on his face, a nameless doubt in his heart.'It's indeed a Jiangnan accent... even a familiar regional cadence...'

Hearing the voice, Fuxun, whose long-awaited helper had arrived, was instantly overjoyed. He stepped out of the building and called out, "My brother is here!"

The doors then opened, and a True Man flew forth. He appeared middle-aged, and though not particularly handsome, he wore a white fur coat and a precious pearl at his waist, giving him a refined and scholarly appearance. On his fair forehead were three vertical and horizontal marks, short on the sides and long in the middle, glowing with a brilliant silver color.

His eyes shone brightly. He entered the building with a smile, still speaking modestly, "Senior, you are too kind! You are much older than I am; I truly dare not call myself your brother. You may simply address me by my Daoist name!"

After saying this, the True Man in white fur then noticed another person in the building. He trembled slightly, slowly turned his gaze, and his pupils suddenly dilated, as if he had seen something utterly shocking.

Meanwhile, the True Man in the white and gold Daoist robe had already risen from his seat and approached the front of the hall. Their eyes met.

Compared to the other's incredulous expression, Li Ximing's gaze was one of uncertainty and surprise, as if he found it hard to confirm, continually scanning the man's face. The atmosphere solidified like stone.

Fuxun's smile still lingered on his face, but in that instant, his mind became alert, and an alarm bell rang in his heart:'Oh no! These two are enemies!'

The moment this thought arose in his mind, faint fangs began to protrude from beneath his scholarly facade. A single thought remained in Fuxun's heart:The old domain name has been compromised; please remember the new one.