Chapter 985: Harvest (Part 1)

The treasure before him glittered, dazzling his eyes and casting brilliant light across the entire Zhijing Mountain. Li Ximing held his breath, stepped forward two paces, and carefully examined the purplish-golden Thunder Profound Mace. He responded, "Oh!"

Just as he was about to pick it up, his gaze was drawn irresistibly to the Li Fire Spiritual Treasure. It was perfectly round, like a Golden Core, with golden threads coiling around it, various fantastical Li Fire colors flowing, and true fire accompanying them, making it impossible to look away. His eyes immediately fixed in mid-air. "Good!"

His eyes couldn't move, yet his hands instinctively continued their previous action. He quickly reached for his waist, took out a jade box, placed it in Li Zhouwei's hand, and said, "Take this pill first!"

Li Zhouwei had actually already taken a Profound Essence Mind-Calming Pill in the Cave Heaven, but the one Li Ximing offered was a Yin Water pill, which was more suitable for his current condition. He nodded in agreement, swallowed it casually, and chuckled, "I acquired eight spiritual incenses, five spiritual objects, three excellent spiritual artifacts, one Li Fire spiritual treasure, one treatise on cultivation, one spiritual embryo I seized on the way, two Purple Mansion cultivation methods... five spiritual resources... As for the other miscellaneous items, ancient magical artifacts were too numerous to count!"

"Since the items on me were valuable, and I was worried about ambushes outside, I happened to find an exit and came out early. Otherwise, with the current anomalies just appearing, I wouldn't have reached the lake so quickly."

Li Ximing exclaimed in shock, "This is enough to establish a sect! How many people's things did you plunder?!"

Li Zhouwei just laughed. "Uncle-Grandmaster, you wouldn't believe the wealth of Wanling Heaven... it's probably unprecedented. Immortal palaces were everywhere within the Cave Heaven, spiritual artifacts were on display, and everything was opulent. Things rare in the outside world were casually used as decorations within the immortal palaces... It even surpassed Anhuai Heaven of yesteryear. Truly, everyone had their fill!"

Li Ximing secretly clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "It is the Wanling Upper Sect after all! How could it be an ordinary Dao lineage? But spiritual treasures are rare; you must have put in a lot of effort!"

Li Zhouwei said seriously, "This one was indeed special. I offended a few families, but none of them were important figures – some Northern Di tribes, Southern demonic cultivators, the Mahakaruna sect... When you owe too much, you don't worry about it; I just plundered them!"

"All cultivators were focused on seizing treasures, rarely wasting time fighting. The only exception was Louying Pavilion; we fought quite fiercely, and these injuries of mine are thanks to him."

He shook his head, his golden eyes mostly calm. "He reaped what he sowed; he's not having an easy time now."

"Louying Pavilion!"

Li Ximing knew this person was a mid-stage Purple Mansion cultivator and had personally experienced the pressure he exerted. No wonder he caused so much trouble for Li Zhouwei. He raised an eyebrow. "Old grudges..."

Li Zhouwei chuckled dismissively and said, "First, let me show Uncle-Grandmaster a treasure!"

He raised his hand somewhat mysteriously and gently hooked something under the table, and a jade box immediately popped out.

The box was covered in dense patterns, gleaming with light, and looked extremely unusual. Li Ximing recognized it at a glance; it was the jade box Li Tongya had acquired from Huzhongzhou years ago. While it had no outstanding value itself, it had been the most effective container for spiritual objects for all these years!

This item was originally used to store Lunar Essence and Moon Branches. Later, when the "Sun and Moon Shined Together Heaven and Earth" was opened, all these items were placed inside, suffering no loss whatsoever, so the jade box was taken out.

His interest was immediately piqued. "What kind of treasure requires this to store it?!"

As the jade box was lifted, a brilliant, blazing white flame burned fiercely within it!

This flame was intensely bright white, dazzling to the eye, and faintly, one could discern many light gray, almost invisible flames surrounding the brilliant white. At that moment, they surged forth, and a fierce, scorching aura assailed Li Ximing, shaking him to his core. "A Purple Mansion spiritual fire!"

He was very experienced in this field; with just a glance, he exclaimed in horror, "A Conjoined Fire related to the sun!"

Li Zhouwei had anticipated his surprise and chuckled. "Spiritual items rarely seen in daily life... are abundant in the Cave Heaven!"

How could Li Ximing hear anything else at this moment? He hastily extended two fingers and lightly wiped the jade box, instantly refining the fire!

"Buzz!"

The blazing white flame immediately leaped onto his palm, dancing joyfully. Li Ximing closed his eyes slightly, greatly excited, and responded, "What a magnificent spiritual fire!"

Li Zhouwei smiled and asked, "Does Uncle-Grandmaster recognize it?"

This question hit a sensitive spot. Li Ximing chuckled. "I actually know quite a bit about it! Back then, I heard True Person Yuandao explain a Dao, mentioning a type of fire that originates from the Fire of Desire. I gained some insight from it and later specifically researched and collected information, secretly correlating..."

"The Grand True Person mentioned that the Jinwu, inspired by the Three Suns, gives birth to three types of fire. The one corresponding to the Blazing Sun is the essence of the Fire of Desire, distinct from ordinary desire, making it the second type of fire. The first, however, is the one corresponding to the Sun, called the Sun Conjoined Fire... Legends say its power is boundless. The Jinwu bestowed it upon a descendant named Yangxing Daque. The descendants of Yangxing Daque call themselves Tianwu, and the very Tianwu Conjoined Fire before you is what they wield!"

His eyes still showed incredible shock. "I don't know much about this item, but it's definitely among the very top tier of Conjoined Fires! If you don't use flames, you wouldn't know how formidable this thing is... If a Purple Mansion cultivator who wields Conjoined Fire were to obtain it... it would absolutely be enough for them to forge a formidable reputation within the Purple Mansion realm!"

"In all these years... this is the most precious spiritual fire I've ever seen! Even the Little Peacock's karmic fire from back then pales in comparison!"

"Oh?"

Li Zhouwei hadn't expected this flame to be so extraordinary. His heart stirred, and as he pondered, he said, "Indeed! I recall there was a screen in the Xinhu Palace depicting a Jinwu, with its beak pointed at the celestial sun, and three circular positions, which must correspond to this legend."

Li Ximing was overjoyed. He put away the flame and chuckled, "Although it has been neutralized by the sun quite a bit, this fire still retains the insidious properties of Conjoined Fire. It can burn the physical body, damage a person's magical power, and is not only like a bone-clinging disease, extremely difficult to remove, but can also summon the celestial sun to crush enemies..."

"Its power is great, but first, its magical power consumption is also great, and second, its power is difficult to control. The latter isn't much of a concern... The main point is that it's too rare; we should ask some seniors about it!"

Li Ximing's "not much of a concern" naturally referred to his Valley Wind Spirit Flame, and he joyfully accepted it. Li Zhouwei then took out the rest of the items. The remaining spiritual object was a pot of High-Tier spiritual liquid, which was integrated with the Essence-Extracting Profound Origin Cultivation Method. It clearly couldn't be moved and was to be kept within the clan.

Next was a very conspicuous jade ring, shimmering with a smoky luster, dyed through with rouge. It was a fusion of Superior Bright Profound Jade and Longxuan White Jade, also considered a type of Purple Mansion spiritual object, extremely valuable. "This item is powerful, Uncle-Grandmaster. Take it and ask True Person Zhusheng of the Southern Border about it."

Li Ximing admired it repeatedly, while Li Zhouwei took out another item. It glowed with dazzling colorful light, like crystal, radiating brilliant radiance, making Li Ximing raise his eyebrows in delight. "This makes up for that spiritual object now, otherwise I really wouldn't know how to explain it to Wan'er!"

It was precisely the Six-Phase Ceremonial Color, a Complete Core spiritual object!

This item was extraordinary; it was mentioned in Marquis Shu's Golden Book and was much rarer than the Nine-Colored Profound Mercury from back then... It was a treasure of the Complete Core path, capable of aiding transformations, and when refined into a spiritual artifact, its power was even more wondrous!

This sight, however, filled Li Ximing with both regret and joy. After all, human desires are hard to satisfy, and he couldn't help but sigh. "To think it's such a wondrous spiritual object! If the Nine-Colored Profound Mercury were still here, this item could have been saved for her to refine into an artifact after achieving the Purple Mansion, which should have elevated her divine abilities even further... What a pity!"

Li Zhouwei remained noncommittal, chuckling, "It's rare for everything to be satisfactory; let's wait and see how things unfold."

These items were all things he had acquired early on. At this moment, he paused slightly and surprisingly took out another profound box. He gently lifted one item from within, revealing a white light.

Inside the box lay a piece of Water Gold, about a finger long, emitting colorful, misty golden light. A thick water vapor settled at the bottom, dark blue in color.

"A Conjoined Water spiritual object!"

This jade box contained the white light he had seized from Helian Wujiang. Li Zhouwei was extremely lucky; it was not spiritual resources, but a spiritual object! He smiled. "It's just that my family doesn't have a Conjoined Water Dao lineage, so I can't identify what it is... But it's not difficult. I'm acquainted with Daoist Aunt Xiang Chun; I'll send her a letter and ask."

Conjoined Water is a prominent Dao in the current era, even one of the few Great Daos that has continuously manifested from ancient times to the present. There are quite a few of them. Although the situation in the Cave Heaven was slightly different, spiritual objects of this path were still indispensable.

Li Zhouwei wasn't surprised, but Li Ximing sighed instead. "No wonder everyone flocks to them; these five spiritual objects combined would take me hundreds of years to collect..."

"But there's more!"

Li Zhouwei then unfastened the Biting Green Coriander Profound Cauldron and solemnly handed it to Li Ximing. "This is the Biting Green Coriander Profound Cauldron. Although its combat power isn't great, its auxiliary effects are extremely strong. It can refine spiritual liquids using spiritual objects, surpassing most spiritual artifacts of today in its wondrous capabilities! Only in Wanling Cave Heaven would such a treasure exist..."

Li Ximing held it in his hand, while Li Zhouwei's gaze swept over the purplish-golden Profound Mace and the Li Fire spiritual treasure. He said, "These two treasures, one being a top-tier spiritual artifact and the other a spiritual treasure, I'll trouble Uncle-Grandmaster to refine them while I heal..."

Li Ximing repeatedly assented, chuckling, "I still have a jade talisman here, with three treasures needing refinement, which will take quite some time... But I'm always happy to do it; it will be hard to have such days in the future."

Li Zhouwei burst into laughter and took an item from his sleeve, presenting it to Li Ximing with his palm facing up. It was a palm-sized golden jade tablet, shimmering with patterns and slightly curved, making Li Ximing stare in astonishment. "There's more?!"

The golden-eyed youth merely chuckled, "Indeed!"

He flicked his hand, and the jade tablet gently flipped in the air, suddenly transforming into a golden light that extended like water. When it finally landed in his palm, it had become a golden spear, about ten feet long and entirely golden.

This spear was extremely peculiar. Its entire body was smooth, without any patterns or formal undulations. The spearhead and shaft were integrated, making it look very unremarkable.

Li Zhouwei said with a hint of regret, "This item is also a spiritual artifact, called the Descending Light Battalion's Unified Blade. There are six of them in a complete set. When they leaped out, I only managed to seize one, so its power isn't fully apparent, but it can still be used."

"Descending Light Battalion's Unified Blade..."

Li Ximing was slightly surprised, listening as Li Zhouwei revealed considerable admiration. He said, "This item was crafted from Xiao Jin spiritual material. Its original owner, to highlight the wondrous nature of Xiao Jin spiritual material—its lack of cause and effect, its carefree and unfettered quality—did not inscribe a single profound pattern, fully pushing the power of Xiao Jin to its limit..."

"Therefore, this item is quite special. Although it doesn't possess great divine abilities on its own, and is even extremely slow when traversing the void, its resistance to magical arts is very high, making it difficult to predict. With all six blades present, it possesses even more of the wondrous cause-and-effect-free quality..."

"How formidable!"

This refining method was quite unique, completely different from the current trend of pursuing numerous profound patterns and divine wonders. Li Ximing listened thoughtfully, nodding repeatedly. "The ingenuity of a Doushen cultivator is truly eye-opening!"

The Descending Light Battalion's Unified Blade was naturally more suitable for Li Zhouwei. Li Ximing pushed it toward him, telling him to keep it. Only then did Li Zhouwei begin to tally the final gains from the Li Fire Palace, placing a brilliant, deep-red jade slip on the table with a faint smile. "The ancient Li Fire cultivation method, 'Scripture of Refulgent Blazing Fire,' which achieves the divine ability 'Ninefold Grasp'!"

Li Ximing took it and looked, sighing, "Jiang Qian now has a Dao lineage!"

Li Zhouwei sat down beside him, taking out spiritual liquid to extinguish the flames on his body, warming and restoring himself. He said, "And there's more. Although this cultivation method is ancient, it is extremely wondrous. It originated precisely when the Purple Mansion Golden Core Dao was being established, making it abstruse and emphasizing the preservation of life... It's quite profound. Cultivators of this method would probably find it very difficult to turn to the Demonic Path of the Heavenly Fetus..."

"What's even rarer is that secret techniques in that Cave Heaven were often kept by individuals of high status, sealed in unknown ways. However, the master of this Li Fire Palace either was such a high-status individual or simply not subject to higher authority, as the secret techniques were attached to it, a total of three of them!"

In fact, according to Li Zhouwei's judgment, this palace was not in the center of the mountain peak but rather on the periphery, indicating that the latter possibility was greater. He secretly took note of this, then changed the subject. "All these things mean our family can allow truly talented disciples to cultivate this method, and their chances of breaking through to the Purple Mansion realm are considerable!"

Li Ximing nodded repeatedly, then watched as Li Zhouwei opened two jade boxes he had obtained. One contained reddish spiritual energy, precisely the Clearbright Refulgent Qi required by the 'Scripture of Refulgent Blazing Fire,' enough for nine portions.

The other box was even more brilliant, containing reddish-red gemstones the size of pigeon eggs. Surging Li Fire energy immediately assailed them. There were a total of five gems, all bright and of excellent quality, with the central one being particularly embraced, exhibiting a bright golden color.

"The surrounding ones are Purple Mansion spiritual resources, Scarlet Light Li Amber..."

Li Zhouwei glanced at them, finding it peculiar. The one in the very center should be a spiritual object, though he couldn't identify what it was, and he mused, "It seems as if it was prepared long ago to pass down the Dao lineage... Perhaps there was a premonition about the fate of Wanling Heaven, which is why the spiritual energy was prepared... It's a pity I didn't have time to go to the other side hall; a Li Fire spiritual artifact is missing..."

One must know that the 'Scripture of Refulgent Blazing Fire' did contain a qi-gathering method, though troublesome, and it was uncertain if it would still be effective... But for the master of the Li Palace to have made such preparations clearly indicated a concern about the dissipation of spiritual energy after changes in heaven and earth, or even a certainty that Wanling Heaven could be preserved for a considerable period but had no true future...

Many thoughts raced through his mind. Li Ximing, before him, let out a slight breath and chuckled, "With all these items, we finally have the spiritual resources to forge spiritual armor!"

Li Zhouwei hadn't expected him to still be thinking about spiritual armor. He paused slightly, watched as his Uncle-Grandmaster tucked it into his sleeve, and could only accept it with a smile, saying, "I'll trouble Uncle-Grandmaster!"

The remaining items were difficult to appraise. Li Ximing waved his hand at him while taking the Kujin spiritual embryo silver bell, in high spirits. "Senior Liu is watching over the East Sea, and we've never really been able to repay him. This Kujin spiritual embryo is definitely more than enough; he'll surely be delighted, and perhaps it can help him with something..."

Li Ximing also took out the remaining eight golden-patterned profound incenses to examine them, but he couldn't figure them out. He estimated that only someone from a Doushen Dao lineage would recognize them. Unfortunately, the Scarlet Reef Island and Changxiao Gate, their relationships with their own family were progressively worse. After much thought, the only somewhat peaceful option was Duxian.

As he was pondering, Li Zhouwei prepared to enter seclusion for healing and reminded him, "That spiritual treasure... Uncle-Grandmaster, remember to refine it first. Perhaps it resonates with the 'Scripture of Refulgent Blazing Fire'!"

Li Ximing nodded repeatedly, seeing him off, and replied, "Leave the miscellaneous affairs to me; just focus on healing. I'll make sure everything is taken care of."

But as they reached the forest, Li Ximing saw the young man suddenly remember something. He turned around, his brows raised, eyes bright, and chuckled, "As for Helian Wujiang... I've avenged Uncle-Grandmaster already!"