Chapter 957: Merit

Li Zhouwei shook his head, leading him out, and whispered, "It's not just that, Senior Uncle. Please look."

The two rose with a flash of light and traversed the void. Li Zhouwei led him north the entire way, appearing in a pavilion by the riverbank.

The north was shrouded in a thin mist. Endless white bones still stretched continuously, and vaguely, several figures appeared, walking among the vast expanse of bones, quickly vanishing into the mist.

Although the north bank below their feet was still bustling, it was no longer heavily guarded as before. Now it was just a normal defense to prevent rogue cultivators and demonic cultivators from the north from sneaking onto the lake.

Li Zhouwei said nothing, leading him across the river. Li Ximing looked at the endless bones with a complex expression, remaining silent.

"Our family lost many cultivators. Over a hundred were in the Fetal Breath stage. Fewer were in the Qi Cultivation stage, thirty-one people, eleven of whom were from major sects. Ten Foundation Establishment cultivators died; most were guest elders from Qingchi, and our family accounted for two."

"That's not many."

Li Ximing nodded. Li Zhouwei, however, shook his head and said, "I knew he was going to cross the river and quietly kept in mind that there might be casualties. I had already given instructions not to let them be too reckless..."

"Besides... within our family, Qu Bushi and Sun Bai couldn't possibly contend with anyone. Miaoshui was injured again, and Chen Yang was more cunning than anyone. Looking around, everyone was old, weak, sick, or disabled. They weren't meant to be on the front lines anyway. The only one who could fight was Ding Weizeng... I made arrangements for him. The Foundation Establishment cultivators from Qingchi naturally had to take the lead."

"The ones from our family who charged forward the most were the Wen demonic cultivator brothers and our clan junior Zhou Da. The Wen brothers, thinking they were demonic cultivators and could somehow escape with their lives, and knowing there were lake subsidies for injuries, became more reckless, wanting to gain more benefits. They didn't expect to encounter such a situation and died together. Fortunately, Zhou Da had a protective artifact and talismans, so he managed to escape with his life..."

Li Ximing sighed inwardly upon hearing this and replied, "He's truly lucky to be alive. On normal days, the old man always complained to me about his impulsive personality. He'd charge headlong into anything that got him excited... I wonder how he developed that habit."

As the two True Persons walked in, they immediately felt a surge of sinister coldness. Lesser Yin energy and malevolent Qi surged, corroding their flesh and chilling their bones to the marrow. Ghostly winds howled, and night ravens cried out sharply.

The two True Persons naturally restrained their divine abilities so as not to cause spiritual energy conflicts in the area and be discovered. Li Zhouwei said, "The landscape of Baijiangxi has changed. Now, cultivators of all levels call this place Turbid Killings Mausoleum. It is the former site of the Three Secret Veins Caverns..."

"The clear water here has long since dissipated. But malevolent energy surges, resentment festers, and spiritual energy boils. It's still uninhabitable for mortals. Even Qi Cultivation cultivators cannot stay long..."

Li Ximing glanced around and indeed saw several Qi Cultivation cultivators equipped with artifacts and talismans, searching for something. Li Zhouwei spoke somberly, "Besides the various artifacts and treasures left by the cultivators who died in battle here years ago, the speed of spiritual energy transformation here is also extremely strange. From time to time, there are tremors in the void, and spiritual objects are born. Over the past year, the frequency of their birth has been increasing."

Li Ximing understood upon hearing this:'How could spiritual objects be born out of thin air? The most common explanation is a Grotto-Heaven... It's likely that a divine ability or magic treasure in the void is slowly drawing that Grotto-Heaven back into the present world, thereby affecting the spiritual energy and causing it to become turbulent, which in turn leads to the birth of spiritual objects from nothingness.'

'Now it's mostly understood that the several clashes between north and south, and the various killing tribulations, were all ultimately for Wanling Heaven. Zhou Wei once glimpsed its appearance that day, and now it seems it's destined to descend here in the future.'

Li Zhouwei pointed north and whispered, "Everyone now says that monks find it difficult to cross Turbid Killings Mausoleum. It has been peaceful for a few days. I heard that Murong Yan and others are stationed north of Turbid Killings Mausoleum. Xiaoshi Mountain and Tangdao Mountain are still occupied by Buddhist cultivators. Xuanmiao is the cultivation ground for Qi Lanyan and others... Xuanyue... has been revived."

'What "monks find it difficult to cross"?! That's just wishful thinking from cultivators below the Purple Mansion stage. Since this is the place where Wanling Heaven will be drawn, who would dare to fight recklessly here?'

Li Ximing gradually understood more, but upon hearing the name of the Xuanyue Sect, he offered no congratulations, but still sighed with emotion: "The Kong clan... it's not easy for them."

The two walked together into the formation. Li Zhouwei continued, "The All-Immortal Dao has returned the mountain, and it cannot be touched. Most of Zhu Gong's important direct descendants were taken away, but they left quite a few demonic cultivators for them. Kong Xiaxiang was furious, so he caught these few minor cultivators to vent his anger... I wonder if it was arranged to show their stance."

"Senior Kong has not come to the lake yet; it's probably not appropriate. He sent Kong Guxi and Kong Xiaxiang for a visit."

He raised an eyebrow and said, "Kong Guxi was extremely grateful but dared not say much. Kong Xiaxiang is quite grateful to our family. He was originally a hot-tempered person, but his ups and downs were too sudden, all beyond his control. Now his mind has been damaged."

"As the saying goes, he's plagued by inner demons, and he's even worse than that. His calm demeanor has been shattered, and it's hard to change him... and it's not his fault."

They sat down at a table in the grand hall. The True Person in the white-gold Daoist robe could not speak, only watching clear tea being poured into a cup, making a faint trickling sound. Li Zhouwei poured the tea and said quietly:

"In November, Sui Guan killed Xin Du and the Four Compassions. None in Baijiangxi were spared. Most people in the world are unclear and still point to True Person Qiuhu, but Que Wan and a few others know the truth, and the matter has been recorded."

"Later, the Blessed Land was sealed, Xiukui secluded himself from the world, and Xuanyue Sect was re-established. Senior Uncle San's disciple, Quan Yuduan, came to deliver news."

He paused slightly at this point and explained, "The information known by Guest Elder Wushao was originally revealed by them."

Li Ximing nodded to show he understood. Li Zhouwei continued, "I specifically met with him. He has a strong dislike for the Ning family. Feeling at a loss, he could only emerge from the mountains. When discussing True Person Sui Guan, Quan Yuduan only remembered that there was once such a great True Person. As for any doubts or suspicions, they were completely gone."

Li Ximing frowned. Li Zhouwei continued, "So I had Que Wan retrieve the records from that time. The two characters 'Sui Guan' had vanished without a trace. The entire passage of text was blurred and difficult to decipher."

"Now, everyone in the world remembers True Person Ning of Qingchi Sect using a Qingchi secret talisman to kill the demonic cultivator Xin Du on the river. As for other matters, and the person Sui Guan, no one remembers anything."

"According to my humble estimation, in the current world, except for a few clans with noble bloodlines, those below the Purple Mansion stage cannot clearly remember him. Once they cannot remember, everything falls upon True Person Qiuhu."

Li Ximing was silent for a moment, then asked, "How is True Person Qiuhu?"

Li Zhouwei's gaze was slightly complex: "True Person Qiuhu has been in seclusion for over a year and hasn't emerged for a single day. Lin Wuning is mediocre; how can he control those below him...? Now, Qingchi has many factions, and there's chaos from top to bottom. It has reached a point where they have no spare capacity to suppress local areas..."

"According to Quan Yuduan, now, in markets and on islands, there are few clear assignments. If one wants a position, by using spirit stones or spirit resources to bribe, they can mostly get it."

This was an extremely bad omen. Li Ximing frowned slightly and asked, "Even if bribes can be recouped in the end, how can this continue indefinitely...?"

Li Zhouwei took a sip of tea and replied, "What Senior Uncle says is absolutely correct. Since the calamity of Bianyan Mountain, Qingchi has been a mixed bag of good and bad. The Ning family has always been weak. Now they've collapsed all at once, and True Person Qiuhu has also let go. Those below are at a loss, and the various prefectures are discontent. They only fear the True Person's power."

"Now, everyone is using their name and influence to pursue their own agendas. Most of the tributes have become nominal, and actual enforcement has fallen into disuse. I'm afraid even the Four Min Prefectures below Qingchi Mountain... hardly any have loyalty to Qingchi anymore."

Li Ximing shook his head and sighed, "What does this amount to! Even if Qingchi is completely rotten, its mere facade is enough for the clans in the various prefectures to feast on for a hundred years. Now, they're just loosening their grip and taking a nap. The things locked in their treasuries remain untouched, and their high status is maintained. In reality, they are just nurturing the local areas."

"One day they'll roll over and wake up, and it'll be another cycle."

Li Zhouwei's expression was unreadable, and he whispered, "I'm afraid they won't wake up."

The two paused, saying nothing more. Li Zhouwei said seriously, "There is one matter I need to discuss with you, Senior. Jiang Qian is in seclusion, and by my calculations, his emergence is not far off. He will then be in the late Foundation Establishment stage. We need to start paying attention to his Purple Mansion spiritual item!"

Li Ximing's heart tensed, and he began to calculate inwardly.

'The Heavenly Sundial Scripture is a sixth-rank text with four secret arts. I cultivated three of them back then, taking just over ten years in total...'

The Heavenly Sundial Scripture was a cut above the Radiant Core Scripture, but the secret arts of the Radiant Core Scripture were much simpler, so naturally they couldn't be compared. Li Jiangqian's current training and resources were also different from what Li Ximing had then. He found a balance:

'Even if he cultivates quickly, it would take him at least fifteen to twenty years to master the secret art... That's also a matter of forging a divine ability; it definitely needs to be considered.'

Li Ximing pondered for a while, then said somewhat awkwardly, "That's true. Actually, Que Wan's also needs to be considered. The complete alchemical spiritual item that was exchanged back then is still on my account... If we have twenty to twenty-five years, these two items will become quite urgent."

"Fortunately, I have some connections in the Southern Wilderness now... Let me write a letter and ask those few demon kings in the Southern Wilderness; there might be some clues."

Li Zhouwei nodded and replied, "Senior Uncle's considerations are very thorough."

He was actually thinking about whether there would be gains if they had a chance to enter Wanling Heaven, but he wasn't sure yet, so he didn't say much, pondering:'It seems that Guan Xie is Luo Xia's most direct subordinate. If that's the case, he must also be eager for me to cultivate faster. If there's an opportunity for many to enter Wanling Heaven, he would at least intentionally allocate a spot to me.'

Seeing Li Ximing begin to ponder the matter of spiritual items, Li Zhouwei took out a thick letter, handed it to Li Ximing, and smiled, "This is a letter from Qize; it arrived at home a month ago. Fearing it might be an offense, they waited for you, Senior, to open it."

Li Ximing chuckled, shook open the silk letter to read, quickly scanned it, a strange glint appeared in his eyes, and he smiled, "This is good news!"

"That True Person Luo from the Southern Wilderness... has some ideas about the Marvelous Wisdom Beard in my possession. These past days, he went to the South Sea, found the demon king Tuodu of Si Hai, and traded for a golden stone, called Sky Star Scarlet Gold."

The name sounded somewhat familiar. Li Zhouwei asked in return, "Is that the White Elephant who is restrained by Buddhist cultivators and practices a malevolent energy path?"

"That's right..."

"This Sky Star Scarlet Gold... is a Purple Mansion-grade spiritual material of the Li Fire element. It's formed when celestial stars shift positions, and the light of Li Gold falls into the frigid sea and condenses. It's also a very suitable spiritual item for crafting armor."

The thick stack of letters seemed to contain many pleasantries. Li Ximing smiled, "There's also a handwritten letter from Tuodu here. It even explains the origin of the spiritual item clearly, saying he obtained the Sky Star Scarlet Gold in the Reef Sea and shared it equally with Chang Yun of Chengyun Sect, so its source is not a problem."

"That's one thing."

Li Ximing laughed heartily, then continued, "And there's this invitation from the White Elephant... This demon is very poor; he wants me to refine pills for him but is reluctant to offer anything valuable. He only said he'd take half the pills... too uninteresting."

Though he said that, Li Ximing was not being reserved; he merely chuckled, "As for me, I will take one or two pills from him, but I'll also ensure he receives a quantity far beyond his expectations, making him owe me a favor... and having him gather information on spiritual items for me!"

He laughed heartily and continued, "Not only that, Senior Liu Changdie has been in the East Sea for over a year. With his intervention, the Neck Plume has likely already condensed. You just focus on your cultivation; I'll take care of all these matters!"

Li Zhouwei couldn't help but smile and shake his head. He gently waved his sleeve, and the grand hall's doors closed one by one. His expression turned serious as he asked, "Senior Uncle, do you remember the Xuan Order of the Upper Heaven Pavilion? Do you remember how many immortal merits you have?!"

Li Ximing was influenced by his solemn expression and asked, puzzled, "Of course I remember, three hundred fifty-seven, not a single point has been used!"

Li Zhouwei whispered, "In these recent battles, I have deeply felt my own shortcomings. After the great war, I was looking to choose a new spell. I went to the pavilion and examined many Mingyang spells, and took a liking to the Imperial Qiguang spell."

Li Ximing suddenly realized and immediately responded, "What's the big deal! If you exchange for a spell, both you and I can cultivate it. Although I don't have enough energy to use it simultaneously, it would still be excellent for reference. What are its effects? And how many immortal merits does it cost?"

Li Zhouwei was interrupted by him and said seriously, "It's not without reason that I favor this spell. This spell is similar to the Supreme Illumination Suppressing Light spell, but it is fifth-rank. The Supreme Illumination Suppressing Light is accumulated over a long time, then forcefully released, heavy and dull. Whereas this one projects divine abilities from the glabella, casting light and shadow, winning with numerous, sharp, and rapid back-and-forth movements."

"The Gate to Heaven is inherently a cumbersome divine ability. If all spiritual artifacts, divine abilities, and spells are heavy, it becomes easier for others to target and restrain us. We should cultivate something light and swift. Both spells not only have their own strengths but also make it convenient for you, Senior Uncle, to study... And I can also use this to utilize the Solar spiritual object, Subduing Gold!"

"As for immortal merits, it requires one hundred and nineteen points."

Li Ximing was overjoyed to hear this. He immediately decided and replied, "Exchange it!"

Li Zhouwei smiled and shook his head, a hint of joy appearing in his eyes. He replied, "What I wanted to say is not just this. At that time, something stirred in my heart, so I took the Xuan Order and checked it against the stone platform in the Upper Heaven Pavilion. I inadvertently discovered... the immortal merits were already four hundred and seventeen!"

"Huh?!"

Li Ximing was startled, and his heart stirred. He suddenly met Li Zhouwei's eyes, which held a faint joy. He finally realized:'Sacrifice demons and eradicate devils, suppress heretical paths!'

The matters in the heavens from back then were things Li Ximing never dared to mention, yet he remembered them vividly. That immortal general at the time had indeed mentioned methods for acquiring immortal merits!

His eyes lit up, and he asked, "Is it because of all the turmoil these past years!"