Chapter 963: True Qi

"Xinyou Luzhe Seal..."

The Grand Void was dim and profound, enveloped by faint phantoms. The great formation glowed with brilliant red light, and though seemingly empty, the Grand Void constantly surged with brilliance, only to extinguish it moments later.

Endless faint yellow illusory lights descended, accompanied by an almost infinite splendor of light and shadow. Clouds drifted within the Grand Void, and as Chi Buzhi departed, they began to vanish at an extremely rapid pace.

As the radiance receded, a man sat there, composed.

He had a youthful face, delicate eyebrows, and large eyes, exuding an air of elegance. He gazed intently at the Grand Void, then suddenly turned and asked: "Fellow Daoist, what do you think of this treasure?"

Immediately, thunder rumbled, and on the other side, purple lightning and misty clouds shimmered, manifesting a spirited woman with willow-like eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes. She held a silver spear, radiating an imposing aura. "I haven’t had a close look," she said. "But Lord Dragon Monarch said... this item indeed has a connection; we just don’t know where."

The two traversed the Grand Void. With just a single step, all the scenery around them fell away like a black curtain, transforming infinitely. Purple lightning emerged from the darkness, and the void expanded, forming a circular pool of purple and white.

Dense, purple-white lightning fluid bubbled up. Purple lightning bolts fell continuously, striking the circular pool, and dark green copper and iron emerged, covered in intricate lightning patterns, from which sprang a silver-white palace.

They had arrived at the Lightning Pool.

Dongfang Heyun’s expression was serene. He sat in a small building within the palace. The woman formed from purple lightning picked up a kettle—it was Li Qinghong.

She poured tea, filling both their cups, and softly asked: "Is this original master of Yuzhen... truly so remarkable?"

Dongfang Heyun chuckled, picked up his cup, and whispered: "To put it bluntly, throughout history, among all the heroes, those who can truly surpass him are fewer than ten individuals!"

The composed man lowered his head to sip his tea, but the taste was unexpectedly delightful, and for a moment, he found himself grinning in surprise.

He smacked his lips, then put down his cup and said: "I’ve been with Lord for a long time, so I can tell you a thing or two."

"The foremost figures throughout history are the Immortal Sovereigns. They typically refer to cultivators born before the Five Virtues and the Five Waters and Five Fires. As for their orthodoxies, Lord Dragon Monarch calls them…"

He said unhurriedly: "The Primordial Dualities."

Dongfang Heyun paused slightly, then continued: "Later, the Five Virtues were born, and the Five Waters and Fires descended upon the world, leading to the attainment of Dao Fruits. Among the Three Profound, there appeared True Monarchs and Immortals. Although their strength was outstanding, none of them styled themselves as Immortal Sovereigns. Many demonic creatures also achieved true enlightenment, the most supreme among them being the True Chi, hailed as the First Demon, whose profound cultivation ranked highest among Immortal-level beings."

"When Lu and He colluded, the Nine Sons were born. The master of He Shui was the East Sea Dragon King, revered as Dongfang Riju. He was often suspected by ancient cultivators to be the reincarnation of the True Chi… Upon his birth, he was already at the pinnacle of Golden Core cultivation."

"The so-called Nine Sons of True Chi consisted of Six He and Three Lu. All Lu were 'intercalary positions,' while all He were 'residual positions.' Subsequently, they all met with a tribulation of slaughter. The East Sea Dragon King fell at the hands of the world’s first Sword Immortal… And this second Sword Immortal…"

He gazed gravely at Li Qinghong and replied: "He later became the Master of Yuzhen."

Li Qinghong mused aloud: "I see… So, did this current Master of Yuzhen, upon attaining the Dao, also receive assistance from a Sword Immortal identity?"

Dongfang Heyun nodded: "Precisely!"

He sighed: "Yuzhen is one of the Three Shamanic Paths and also commands the Grand Dao of reality, illusion, truth, and falsehood. The difficulty of distinguishing truth from falsehood in its transformations is immense. That individual is already an Immortal, and the things they transform into cannot be discerned even by other Immortals!"

Li Qinghong frowned and said: "Therefore, the methods of the Xinyou Luzhe Seal…"

"The Xinyou Luzhe Seal cannot be calculated." Dongfang Heyun shook his head and softly said: "The story of the Xinyou Luzhe Seal wasn’t calculated by any Lord; it was told by Immortal Yingze to the Six Sons of Chongming back then!"

Li Qinghong nodded silently, recalled carefully for a moment, then frowned and asked: "The East Sea Dragon King… fell at the hands of a Sword Immortal… There should be a mutual generation and restraint between their orthodoxies, but I wonder what orthodoxy this Immortal cultivated?"

Dongfang Heyun’s expression grew somber as he replied: "His venerable title cannot be spoken… This Lord is Kongzheng!"

"Kongzheng?" Li Qinghong pressed for clarification, and Dongfang Heyun explained: "Kongzheng means 'proving the void,' or manifesting something from nothing. This Dao Fruit originally didn’t exist, yet through borrowing or concealment, one could attain it from the Grand Dao within the void, thereby causing an additional Dao Fruit to be manifested in the world!"

"What?" Li Qinghong now understood much about Dao Fruits, but hearing this made it even more unbelievable. Dongfang Heyun shook his head, a deep sense of dread appearing in his eyes, and said: "This is an ancient matter, just listen to it as a tale. This position is the Dao of the Sword… it’s the source of sword essence and sword intent within heaven and earth, and also the fundamental rank of Sword Immortals!"

"The sword is the king of all weapons; this is why."

Dongfang Heyun was silent for a long time, finally sighing: "I’ve heard there are different types of Kongzheng, but this Lord is truly terrifying. He neither borrowed nor concealed; he attained it from nothing, making him truly unique. In the conflict between immortals and demons, he successively slew two Wood Virtues, injured countless ancient cultivators, then gracefully departed. From ancient times until now, he can be considered the foremost among all…"

He said with a somber tone: "And it’s also why the Wood Virtue has remained weakened to this day."

Li Qinghong was dumbfounded, lost in thought, and after a long while, she said: "This is the fundamental rank of sword cultivators… No wonder… no wonder Sword Immortals can sever divine abilities and slay Ascended Yang cultivators. So that’s the reason!"

Dongfang Heyun chuckled and shook his head, replying: "Do you know why Sword Immortals often achieve their cultivation *before* manifesting divine abilities?!"

Li Qinghong’s pupils slightly widened as she looked at the courteous man before her and said: "Divine abilities are Dao orthodoxies, and sword intent is also an extremely special, overbearing, and profound mystery. It’s difficult to allow cultivators who have already embarked on other paths to seek it again!"

Li Qinghong exhaled slowly, suddenly enlightened. With her quick mind, she drew inferences and immediately countered with a question: "If that’s the case, then True Monarch Shangyuan’s two sword intents back then… were they perhaps two profound sword Dao mysteries?! How could his strength be underestimated?"

Dongfang Heyun’s expression showed hesitation. He lowered his head and pondered for a long time, then shook his head and said: "I don’t think it can be understood that way. That Sword Immortal’s path is unique. One sword intent is already the limit. Currently, all the Lords actually suspect that True Monarch Shangyuan’s two sword intents were transformations of Yuzhen’s Dao of Reality and Illusion…"

He sighed faintly: "Furthermore, once one ascends to a Dao Fruit position, the assistance from sword intent is no longer as significant as it was during the Violet Palace stage…"

The two changed the subject. Just then, a stir was heard within the Grand Void. A narrow-eyed woman materialized, her robes fluttering, possessing a commanding presence, with two strands of hair falling along her cheeks.

Both stood up together, seemingly ready to welcome her. But the woman waved her hands repeatedly, beckoning them to sit, and simply said: "Fuxin has received the Lord’s instructions and has come to deliver a message. There’s no need for formalities!"

She was quite dignified and rarely smiled; even her polite words didn’t sound particularly courteous. She merely got straight to the point, continuing: "I’ve heard there have been changes in Changhuai and the Underworld. The major trends within the realm are gradually becoming apparent. Lord Tunlei has been nurturing for a long time, and the True Qi Jinxi is about to transform. I ask the two of you to bring the various kings to visit."

Zhijing Mountain.

"Boom!"

Rolling thunder emanated from the clouds. It spread from the dark clouds above the mountain peak, quickly reaching the turbulent lake below. Yet, cultivators passing by were accustomed to it; they hurried past the foot of the mountain without even glancing up.

The mountainside, however, was covered by raging purple flames. A pure white small bottle hung in the air, tilted as if pouring. From its mouth, specks of light, mixed with fiery baleful qi, rained down.

On the other side, eighteen bronze-gold boxes floated. Their colors were deep and rich, and they rotated in the air. From them, spiritual lightning bolts rose one by one, descending in sequence, all falling into the two fingers.

Light and lightning-fire intertwined, interspersed with bursts of fiery baleful qi. All were absorbed by a divine ability, falling into the profound Juque Terrace.

Within the terrace stood a grand hall. It was five bays wide, three bays deep, with eight inner pillars. Magnificent and splendid, interwoven with gold and red, their radiance reflected off each other. The lightning-fire and radiant fiery baleful qi were all drawn into the hall, transforming into a swirling vortex of intertwined lightning and fire, sweeping across this piece of heaven and earth.

After an unknown period, the Juque Court vibrated. The grand hall, standing tall, gleamed with brilliant colors and emitted waves of profound mystique. The man opened his golden eyes and exhaled a breath of fiery baleful qi.

"Emperor Qiguang has been refined!"

The eighteen bronze boxes fell one by one. The Profound-patterned Bottle in the sky also retracted its brilliance, no longer pouring out light. It floated gently onto the table. With a thought from Li Zhouwei, the object sprang up and descended into the baleful spring in the mountains.

Nine of the eighteen bronze boxes still shone with lightning, clearly not yet depleted.

Li Zhouwei counted on his fingers, and found that only nine months had passed.

"Although Emperor Qiguang is complex, it wasn’t particularly difficult for me," he mused, "especially with an endless supply of radiant lightning and fiery baleful qi…"

He had acquired a full eighteen spiritual lightning bolts. However, this technique itself didn’t demand much spiritual lightning. Even though most of the consumption was used to rapidly advance the technique’s progress, he ultimately only used nine.

As Li Zhouwei exhaled the fiery baleful qi, the spot between his eyebrows glowed faintly, a fleeting spark of light sinking into its depths. Various profound mysteries surged within his mind.

Although both originated from the Juque and emerged from the brow center, unlike the Upper Luminance Hidden Light, whose divine radiance filled the room, Emperor Qiguang was characterized by its scattered, divergent light. Once activated, it could release numerous, extremely fast bolts of light-electricity from the brow center.

"It partially compensates for the unwieldy drawbacks…"

He felt much better. He instructed someone to put away the bronze boxes. Then, Li Quewan stepped forward to report.

Li Zhouwei’s gaze was sharp. He swept his eyes over her from head to toe, and nodded, saying: "Your cultivation is profound, and your spiritual consciousness is solid. Your current cultivation is stable; you can take the pills and break through to the late stage."

The Li family had the aid of Talisman Pills. Each stage of cultivation was equivalent to skipping a minor realm. Fetal Breathing and Qi Cultivation were still somewhat normal, but Foundation Establishment and Violet Palace stages showed instantaneous results. Li Quewan understood that the pills he referred to were Talisman Pills, and she replied knowingly: "This junior is here to report… In previous years, many non-family members went into seclusion to attempt Foundation Establishment, but most were unsuccessful and perished one by one… However, there was finally some good news recently: An Xuanxin and An Xuantong of the An family have successively broken through to Foundation Establishment."

Li Zhouwei naturally knew that most of those who went into seclusion at this time were older individuals, whose talent was inherently poor and cultivation methods inferior, making their chances naturally low. In contrast, rising talents had a greater success rate. This was undoubtedly good news. He nodded and said: "The An family’s bloodline is indeed extraordinary."

However, Li Quewan then softly said: "Aside from these, there’s also a Shanyue individual who long ago met the qualifications to attempt Foundation Establishment. He requested a compatible cultivation method from the clan and spent time converting his entire magical power. After a long seclusion, he fortunately succeeded a year ago. His name is Di Liyoujie. He has long wished to pay respects to Uncle, but didn’t dare to disturb you…"

Li Zhouwei showed a hint of surprise and replied: "I know him… His talent isn’t great; only his diligence is noteworthy. He’s quite fortunate… to actually break through to Foundation Establishment! He’s an old timer; I’ll meet him."

Li Quewan nodded and withdrew. Before Di Liyoujie could come up, a long-waiting crimson-robed youth hurried up the mountain. He bowed before Li Zhouwei and respectfully said: "Your son has already been to the Mushroom Forest Plain and has rushed back to report to Father!"

"Crystalline brine, white cranes, intertwined serpents, water and fire…" Light flickered on Zhijing Mountain, and white flowers floated like waves. Listening, Li Zhouwei said with a solemn expression: "True Qi…"

"Reporting, Father, it is indeed True Qi!" Li Jiangqian’s words were full of suspicion as he murmured: "This person has prominent brow bones, short eyebrows, and sharp eyes, possessing immense authority. He bears the aura of a cultivator seeking Dao enlightenment, yet also harbors ambitions to conquer a region. The Yang clan’s scheme is laid bare."

Li Zhouwei lowered his gaze, glanced at him, and said thoughtfully: "He’s no ordinary person; he might be transformed from that fleeing malevolent demon!"

True Monarch Tianwu, who held the True Qi position, once left three sets of armor in the grotto-heaven to guard Anhuaitian. Later, when Anhuaitian fell, the three sets of armor transformed into three Golden Xi.

Two of these three Golden Xi were obtained by Changhuai and Ziyan, respectively. The remaining one escaped into the Grand Void, transforming into a malevolent demon in an instant and harming a Violet Palace cultivator from the South Sea. This cultivator belonged to the Jingyi orthodoxy, a fellow disciple of Daoist Xuanyi.

Once a Golden Xi transforms into a malevolent demon, it can only be controlled by the Underworld Office. The Yang clan and the Underworld Office have always had ambiguous connections. Now that a True Qi figure has emerged, it’s likely a transformation of the True Qi obtained by the Underworld Office!

Li Jiangqian nodded silently. Li Zhouwei murmured: "Pacifying Yue State… what immense capability, and what precise timing."

What kind of world is Yue State now? The Three Sects and Seven Gates have collapsed one by one. Hengzhu, Ziyan, and Xiukui have all retreated from the world. Changxiao has gone into seclusion, and Qingchi doesn’t even have a True Person to oversee it…

Now that Yang Zhuo has appeared, who can stop him?

Li Zhouwei held a golden tablet, gently tapping it on the table. He mentally untangled the various connections, making them clearer and clearer. He said quietly: "Yang Zhuo’s whereabouts haven’t been a secret for just a day or two; Ning Wan must have noticed long ago. No wonder as soon as Sui Guan left, she simply abandoned Qingchi and went into seclusion… She couldn’t afford to provoke him!"

Li Jiangqian’s gaze deepened as he whispered: "In your son’s opinion, this scheme wasn’t planned in a day or two… Being in Jiangnan, our Wei-Li bloodline would surely be the first to know of the Yang clan’s doings. The affair of Yang Tianya back then was a foreshadowing, subtly revealed… It was also to ensure that our family would feel at ease letting people pass today, without interfering with the Yang clan’s grand affairs!"

"Hmm…" Li Zhouwei glanced at him and replied: "As for what you said… that I am a figure like him… that’s not accurate."

"I merely have the favor of a Dao Fruit position. But he is very likely a uniquely favored Heavenly Martial Golden Xi, perhaps residing within his body or within his Ascended Yang cultivation. He is effectively no different from a malevolent demon. And with the Underworld Office backing him, there are probably few in the world who can match him."

"But…" Li Jiangqian’s gaze deepened as he whispered: "If that is the case, how should our family conduct itself?"