Chapter 147: Nine Li Gods Infiltrated

“Ascension Qi Pill? I’ve never heard of it.”

This certainly opened up a new world for Li Weiyi! But he quickly calmed down. “If you could refine it, you would have already done so, Senior. Just tell me, what’s missing?”

“A pill furnace is missing, materials are missing… To be precise, everything is missing. Of course, if you have money, these things are easy to acquire in the prefectural capital. You’re not short on money now, are you?” Chan Hai Guanwu was well aware of his actions in Buried Immortal Town. If an Ascension Qi Pill could truly be refined, it wouldn’t be about spending money; it would clearly be about making a fortune.

“Wait a few more days. I must first complete the cultivation of my first Qi Sea.”

Li Weiyi thought of Governor Zhu Qinfeng’s official robe from Yanzhou. He really wanted her to try activating it, but he had reservations, so he asked first: “May I ask, Mistress of Fog, is the Governor’s Seal on that jade boat artifact, which I found, something you intend to claim for yourself?”

Chan Hai Guanwu wasn’t a talkative person, but this man before her was different after all, and she could afford to be patient. She replied: “Let’s not even mention that I forged it myself a thousand years ago. As for now, can you activate and use it?”

“No,” Li Weiyi whispered. And so, he temporarily gave up on taking out the Governor’s official robe. If he took it out now, he likely wouldn’t be able to keep it; he needed to find another opportunity.

After cultivators in the Five Seas Realm break through, they almost always choose to go into seclusion to accumulate Qi. They won’t engage in combat for a short period, as this is a necessary stage to stabilize their realm.

For two full days, Li Weiyi meditated continuously. The moment his first Qi Sea was completely filled with spirit energy, it resonated with his lungs. Wisps of spirit energy overflowed from the Qi Sea, entering and enveloping his lung tissue. Li Weiyi felt his chest expand, and he exhaled a long breath of spirit energy from his mouth. The spirit energy resembled green smoke and clouds, forming a long bridge. Then, he inhaled. All the spirit energy quickly flowed back into his lungs and entered his Qi Sea.

“The lung tissue and Qi Sea have merged. My first Qi Sea is finally complete. From now on, I can absorb energy from heaven and earth using breathing techniques, instead of relying solely on the ten springs.”

“By breathing directly through my nose and mouth, even if all the omnipresent spirit energy in my first Qi Sea is depleted, it will only take one or two hours to replenish it.”

“This is just the first lung lobe and the first Qi Sea! Next, I will cultivate the second Qi Sea and the second lung lobe.”

Li Weiyi took out a Sunset-Dyed Strange Herb, which could help open up a Qi Sea, swallowed it directly, and began to attempt a breakthrough to the second stage of the Five Seas Realm.

Chan Hai Guanwu sensed something. Her graceful, immortal-like figure flew down from the jade boat artifact onto the over ten-meter-long silver sarcophagus. She leaned slightly, gazed at the coffin lid, and listened to what was inside.

“What was that sound just now?”

The three masters’ soul-shadows immediately gathered around. They had also detected a subtle movement.

“Boom!”

With a flick of her red sleeve, Chan Hai Guanwu abruptly lifted the heavy, enormous silver-white coffin lid, which then crashed to the ground. Inside the coffin lay the eleven to twelve-meter-long skeleton of a Silverbone Celestial. Its entire body emanated wisps of silver light. The inside of its bones was liquid, like compressed rivers of stars.

“Whoosh—”

A colossal demonic shadow, as if it would rip through the blood-mud space, burst forth from within the Silverbone Celestial skeleton. Wielding a battle-axe, its awe-inspiring power sent all three masters’ soul-shadows flying. Even Chan Hai Guanwu gracefully flew backward, landing on the ground. The demonic shadow resembled a mass of black mist, exceedingly chilling, with vast battle intent, as if it could cleave the sky with a single axe strike. However, after bursting out for an instant, it receded like a tide back into the coffin, disappearing into the Silverbone Celestial’s skeleton.

Chan Hai Guanwu’s expression was solemn: “This doesn’t seem like the power fluctuation of a Silverbone Celestial. Why does it resemble your Jiuli clan’s King Cang?”

To the Jiuli cultivators, King Cang was a legend, an ancestor, and a tribal deity second only to the Jiuli God. But to her, he was merely a cultivator she had once met.

Master Coffin’s partial corpse crawled out of the coffin, his soul-thought restless as he exclaimed: “That is the Jiuli God’s combat will… I know, I know! It was at Blood Moon Lake, at the Jiuli God’s burial site. This combat will followed us into the blood-mud space and took residence within that Silverbone Celestial skeleton.”

“That shadow of will just now was indeed extraordinary. Could it really be a method left behind by the Jiuli God?” Master Jar asked.

The usually calm and wise Master Coffin replied: “It is undoubtedly the Jiuli God’s combat will. We just don’t know if it’s one or several.”

Master Jar questioned: “Is the Jiuli God truly dead? Logically, no matter how high one’s cultivation, once they pass away, their combat will should dissipate.”

Master Coffin speculated: “Perhaps the Jiuli God used some incomprehensible ultimate method to preserve his combat will at Blood Moon Lake before burying himself. When I appeared there, the combat will sensed me and thus left with me.”

Master Jar challenged: “Then why didn’t this combat will directly reside in your corpse instead of that Silverbone Celestial’s skeleton?”

Master Coffin didn’t know the reason. He sighed: “Perhaps the ancestor felt that I am already a cripple and utterly unworthy of possessing his combat will.”

Master Spirit Tablet offered soft words of comfort.

Li Weiyi, pale, stood up unsteadily, his lungs aching, with a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, and appeared before the group of spirits.

Chan Hai Guanwu seemed to have expected it: “Did you fail?”

“Yes!”

Li Weiyi said: “After reaching the Five Seas Realm, the difficulty of breaking through has indeed increased. It’s no longer an easy feat.”

Master Jar said: “It’s not that the Five Seas Realm’s breakthrough difficulty has increased; it’s that you were too impatient, kid. You just finished cultivating your first Qi Sea and immediately rushed to challenge the second stage.”

“How did you get injured?” Li Ling asked with concern.

Master Jar replied: “His lung tissue was damaged, that’s how!”

Li Ling asked: “If his lung tissue is damaged, won’t he be unable to attempt the second stage of the Five Seas Realm for a year?”

“Not necessarily. What was damaged was the lung tissue connected to his first Qi Sea. With the nourishment of spirit energy, it will recover quickly, but the pain is still quite severe.” Master Jar continued: “To attempt the second Qi Sea, one must use the spirit energy from the first Qi Sea, which requires the lung tissue associated with the first Qi Sea to be strong enough. If the lung tissue isn’t strong enough, it will naturally be damaged.”

Li Ling asked: “Why didn’t you tell him and just watched him fail and get injured?”

“His physical body is strong enough to withstand it. Failing a breakthrough is also a kind of experience. This way, he’ll know how strong his lung tissue needs to be before he can attempt the second stage of the Five Seas Realm!” Master Jar added: “Besides, if I had advised him earlier, he might not have listened, since his breakthroughs in the Spring Realm were too smooth!”

Li Weiyi’s expression was serious, and he quickly emerged from his despondency, saying with resolve: “You’re right, this failure has taught me a lot. Now that my first Qi Sea and lung tissue are connected, nourishing them will be quick. I think half a month at most! Give me half a month, and I will definitely break through to the second stage of the Five Seas Realm.”

“Whoosh!”

From inside the silver sarcophagus, the massive demonic shadow burst out once more, human-shaped and majestic. But unlike last time, the demonic shadow held its hands as if cradling something, and between its palms was a black vortex, devouring all surrounding light and energy. A moment later, it receded like a tide.

Li Weiyi could feel the powerful aura’s pressure from within the demonic shadow, making himself feel as tiny as dust: “If this truly is the Jiuli God’s combat will, Master Coffin, how do you think we should handle it?”

“Send it to the Jiuli Hidden Sect. Choose a suitable hidden person to inherit it. As a Divine Hidden Person, cultivating hidden people is also your responsibility,” Master Coffin said.

Master Jar said: “It’s a pity your breathing technique is too orthodox, completely opposite to the demonic techniques of the Jiuli clan. Otherwise, if you absorbed it and made it your own, your combat power would be very impressive.”

Master Coffin said: “Only the people with Jiuli clan bloodline can directly absorb it.”

“Inheriting the Jiuli God’s combat will can indeed unleash formidable combat power in a short time. However, I believe that the combat will cultivated using the Twelve Scattered Hands of Chanmen will lead to a much longer path in the future.”

After Chan Hai Guanwu finished speaking, wisps of spirit energy emanated from her fingertips, lifting the silver sarcophagus lid remotely and placing it back on.

The Spectral Netherworld was eternally dark.

Li Weiyi climbed out of the cave, surveyed his surroundings, and only after confirming there was no danger did he retrieve Li Ling and the seven Phoenix-Wing Moth Emperors from the Buddha’s sarira. After folding and putting away the Ghost Banner, he opened the insect tube and put all the Phoenix-Wing Moth Emperors inside. It was quite crowded inside the insect tube. The seven little ones hadn’t stopped eating for the past month, consuming many precious herbs. Their bodies had reached two and a half inches in length, and their strength had significantly increased.

Li Ling’s eyes flickered with a Dao glow, her gaze identical to Chan Hai Guanwu’s: “If you borrow the power of the Shaoyang Star and go to the sea where the Fusang Divine Tree is located to gather Xihe Flowers and feed them, their growth rate will be much faster than now.”

Li Weiyi silently noted this, planning to act on it after he broke through to become a Great Thought Master. He said: “Senior Chan Hai… Mistress of Fog… Hmm, this Soaring Heavens Realm is full of experts. Even spirit energy transmissions might be overheard. I think it’s necessary to give you a more low-key title.”

“As you wish.”

Li Ling walked out ahead, taking Ma Wu out of the black cloth bag. It had been fed regularly during this time, so it hadn’t starved to death.

“Since you’re showing yourself in Li Ling’s appearance, calling you ‘Senior’ isn’t quite right either. How about I also call you Li Ling?” Li Weiyi quickly caught up, walking alongside her.

Li Ling was clearly displeased: “Zen Heart, you may call me that!”

“Then I’ll call you Miss Zen Mist!”

Li Weiyi said: “Miss Zen Mist, I wonder how long it will be before you retrieve the wisp of your soul within me? Being constantly tracked by you really leaves me with no privacy or sense of security.”

“When did I ever say I’d given up on the Yang Marriage?” Li Ling asked.

Li Weiyi was speechless. “…”

“Give me some more time. I want to try and see if I can develop feelings,” Li Ling said.

Li Weiyi let out a wry chuckle: “This isn’t just about you!”

“You can also try to see if you can fall in love with me. Let’s try together,” Li Ling stopped, her phoenix eyes smiling, melting the ice and indifference deep within her pupils.

Li Weiyi met her gaze for a moment, sensing her sincerity. He said: “Since Miss Zen Mist sincerely invites me, I don’t mind trying. Consider it a cultivation experience in life. However, you are occupying Li Ling’s body. I fear that after this ‘cultivation,’ my Dao heart might become chaotic, and I’d fall in love with two people directly. Wouldn’t that be disastrous?”

Li Ling thought for a moment: “You can give me some of your blood. After I absorb it, my true body can emerge from Li Ling’s body at night. Don’t worry, I’ll exchange it for pills, so your effort won’t be without reward.”

“What kind of relationship is this supposed to be, exactly?” Li Weiyi asked.

Li Ling’s eyes were captivating as she tried to recall her youthful feelings. She said: “A love between a celestial and a mortal, a yin-yang love… it seems to have some taboos, a bit improper, completely unrelated. But if we don’t try, how will we know if it’s suitable?”

The two walked into the night, gradually blurring from view.

“Alright, I hope it will be a good outcome.”