Chapter 215: Complete

The banquet was held at noon.

Only Li Weiyi and Li Ling attended.

Having fought today, the two were destined to become famous among the new generation. Tang Wanqiu attached great importance to them, introducing various northern masters one by one to demonstrate the extraordinary power of the Snow Sword Tang Court, with an intention to win them over.

In the northern territories, the "Yinshan Demon King," who was as renowned as Tianya Ridge, and the three Northern Di Barbarian Thieves—"Yueshi," "Wanyan," and "Tuoba"—who were as famous as the three great barbarians, had all submitted to the Snow Sword Tang Court.

After ten years of conquest, the north was almost unified.

Of the seven prefectures, only You and Feng prefectures remained under the control of the imperial court. This was because the Misty Grassland lay between them, where a perpetual fog had persisted for ten thousand years, causing spatial distortions. Neither side dared to march rashly, fearing ambush.

Of the top ten experts in the Northern Region, Tang Wanqiu now commanded eight, with only two invitations remaining: one for Chen Ziliang, the leader of the Qilin Platform, and another for Feng Yin, the top master of Feng Prefecture.

As for the second and third-tier martial cultivators, Tang Wanqiu didn't need to worry at all; her subordinate masters would handle them, bringing their severed heads before her.

The mutual defeat of Ge Xiantong and Zuoqiu Hong presented the perfect opportunity to deal with Chen Ziliang and Feng Yin, thereby unifying the northern city.

After the banquet, Li Weiyi and Li Ling returned to their lodgings.

Tang Wanqiu received a secret report from her infiltrator.

"Jiang Ning has arrived in the northern city!""Ge Xiantong is injured, so while the imperial court temporarily adopts a defensive stance, its focus has shifted north to prevent the Snow Sword Tang Court from unifying the northern city."

Tang Wanqiu pulled her white fox fur collar tighter around her neck, gazing at the jagged icicles hanging from the green-tiled eaves. She smiled and murmured, "Ge Xiantong is truly amusing; he crippled himself in the very first battle! The imperial court should possess the power and ambition to unify the realm, yet now they can only focus on one of the four territories."

In the darkness, someone asked, "Should we seize this opportunity to completely cripple them?"

Tang Wanqiu shook her head. "No hurry! The imperial court has countless formidable experts, not just Ge Xiantong. The eight prefectures boast innumerable talents. Furthermore, both the Phoenix Platform and Qilin Platform have cultivated countless imperial masters. Even Jiang Ning alone is formidable; it's said that he has achieved initial mastery of the Dragon Awakening Art, allowing him to harness dragon soul power."

"Here's what we'll do! Spread the word that the imperial court is in decline, and at this Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, they won't even win first place, let alone secure a single territory. It's utterly laughable!"

The person in the dark asked, "Are you trying to divert trouble eastward?"

"Are we supposed to let the two worms of the Eastern Territory win effortlessly?"

Tang Wanqiu calmly replied, "Currently, Luansheng Linyou must choose between the Western and Southern territories. Most likely, he will focus on the Western Territory, as it's his main base. As for the Southern Territory, although Zuoqiu Hong's Zuoqiu Clan has suffered numerous casualties among its high-level martial cultivators, they are still the hosts and possess a strong military."

"If the imperial court wishes to secure a territory, the Eastern Territory is their best option."

Li Weiyi and Li Ling walked along the rain corridor, returning to their lodgings.

"I recall you once said my blood could awaken corpses with a single drop?" Li Weiyi asked, transmitting his voice with spiritual energy.

The voice of Chan Hai Guan Wu resonated from Li Ling's mouth: "You want to save someone? Don't even think about it; you can't. Do you truly believe you're a judge of life and death, able to decide who lives or dies?"

Li Weiyi's eyes darkened. At the earlier banquet, he had similarly felt heavy-hearted, despite wearing a forced smile.

Chan Hai Guan Wu said, "How long have you been cultivating? When you've cultivated for hundreds or thousands of years, the life and death you've witnessed will be hundreds or thousands of times what you've seen now. Can you save everyone?"

"The three individuals on Shaoyang Star were able to retain their memories and become departed spirits because their cultivation was extremely high in life, and extraordinary power preserved their remnant souls and consciousness."

"And consider the departed spirits in the Nether Realm of the Deceased: how many of them can retain their memories and consciousness? They are all mere ghosts."

"I could be awakened by your blood, firstly, because the lingering regret in my skeletal body had not dissipated. Secondly, the bronze warship itself possesses unfathomable mystic abilities."

"In reality, a normal 'Yang marriage' undoubtedly involves extremely complex rituals and sacrifices to inform your ancestors; it's not as simple as merely dripping blood to awaken a corpse."

"I estimate that once your vital energy is strong enough and you've begun soul cultivation, you'll be able to master the secret art of awakening corpses with a drop of blood. However, this will only temporarily awaken the corpse for battle; it won't last long."

Li Weiyi sighed, "It was my delusion!"

"Instead of dwelling on the past, cherish those who are alive. How is your physical cultivation progressing?" Chan Hai Guan Wu asked.

Li Weiyi replied, "My vital energy has reached initial mastery, but the shaping of my muscles and internal organs still requires time. Master Coffin said that absorbing one jin of celestial earth would lead to initial mastery, and I've absorbed about six or seven liang so far. Have you found the Divine Brazier Wood?"

"The paper that carries the Golden Sword Talismans is refined from Divine Brazier Wood," Chan Hai Guan Wu replied.

Finally, there was some good news.

Li Weiyi said, "Should we refine more Golden Sword Talismans?"

"With Li Ling's mental cultivation at the Disaster Fire Realm, simultaneously controlling three hundred Golden Sword Talismans is her limit. Moreover, the spiritual light flames are consumed very quickly," Chan Hai Guan Wu explained.

"I am also a Great Spirit Master!"

"You are only at the Earth Fire Realm. How many can you control? It's not very useful."

The three realms of a Great Spirit Master are: Earth Fire Realm, Sky Fire Realm, and Disaster Fire Realm.

Above these are Spirit Masters, who possess the ability to refine elixirs and artifacts.

The "Golden Sword Talismans" and "Divine Brazier Wood" were sensitive; the former involved the Heavenly Sword Talismans, and the latter pertained to Li Ling's whereabouts over the past month.Clearly, they needed to be kept as hidden as possible to avoid leading inquiries back to Chan Hai Guan Wu, which would be counterproductive. Therefore, Li Weiyi had no intention of asking Li Ling to refine more Golden Sword Talismans for other Great Spirit Masters to use.

After giving healing elixirs to Cang Li and Yin Jiu, and instructing Bai Shu to look after Yang Zhiyong and Yang Yun, Li Weiyi returned to his room.

After setting up a formation, he entered the Blood Mud Space.

Chan Hai Guan Wu followed him in, while Li Ling remained outside.

Divine Brazier Wood is a type of godwood from the earth's core, as hard as jade, which erupts to the surface with magma. It is named because it can only be found in the Divine Brazier Abyss and is a priceless treasure for martial cultivators strengthening their muscles and skin.

Chan Hai Guan Wu gave Li Weiyi a piece, then flew onto the jade boat to refine and absorb it herself.

She also needed to cultivate her physical body!

"She said she'd come back to celebrate New Year's together! But after returning, she just buried herself in cultivation again."

Li Weiyi gazed at the elegant figure in red meditating at the bow of the boat. Suddenly, he understood why she could cultivate to the level of an emperor. She was completely unburdened by emotional attachments, always prioritizing cultivation.

He temporarily put away the Divine Brazier Wood in his hand.

Li Weiyi sat beside Master Coffin's coffin and took out the Dao Fruit. "I must cultivate this fourth Qi Sea to perfection as quickly as possible, otherwise I'll be powerless to contend with the true young generation masters."

Luansheng Linyou's terrifying cultivation had left a deep impression on Li Weiyi.

If he hadn't had the help of the seven Phoenix-winged Moth Emperors, there would still be a certain gap between him and Yang Qingxi, who was not a successor-level expert. And even a successor-level expert stronger than Yang Qingxi, how many moves could they withstand against Luansheng Linyou?

"Do you still remember the risks I told you about?" Master Coffin asked.

"I'll be careful."

Master Coffin was extremely cautious. He lifted the coffin lid, and his incomplete body rose from within, radiating a brilliant blood-red light and an extraordinary aura. The Nine Emperors Banner in his hand erupted with spatial power, driving the Dao Fruit into Li Weiyi's fourth Qi Sea, located within his lung lobes.

"Whoosh!"

Space rippled violently.

An excruciating pain immediately shot through Li Weiyi's lungs.

He quickly gathered his consciousness to examine his Qi Sea internally.

The Dao Fruit, positioned by Master Coffin at the center of his Qi Sea, hung like a divine sun, its brilliance illuminating his entire chest cavity.

"Boom!"

The Dao Fruit spun rapidly, releasing spiritual energy like a torrent, forming an increasingly large and violent vortex that threatened to tear his Qi Sea apart.

Each breath could increase his spiritual energy by two or three thousand units.

While Master Coffin could use this technique, other top factions could certainly employ it too, to help their disciples accumulate spiritual energy more quickly.

However, normally, a Dao Lotus would only be used when the Qi Sea reached over ten thousand units.

As for the Dao Fruit, it was only used by successor-level geniuses cultivating ancestral fields.

Successor-level geniuses could typically expand their ancestral fields to tens of thousands of units. Filling an ancestral field of tens of thousands of units with spiritual energy was considered the completion of the Seventh Sea, or "Great Perfection of the Five Sea Realm."

Li Weiyi's fourth Qi Sea, however, only held about eight thousand units, yet a Dao Fruit was forced into it for energy storage. This naturally carried some risks, which made Master Coffin exceptionally cautious.

Using a Dao Lotus also carried some risks, not significantly less.

In just a few breaths, Li Weiyi felt his lungs swell as if they would burst, and spiritual energy surged chaotically within him.

The fourth Qi Sea was full...

"Whoosh!"

Master Coffin's arm trembled, and the Nine Emperors Banner spun.

Space subtly vibrated.

The Dao Fruit was pulled out by the Nine Emperors Banner and immediately put back into an iron box, sealed for preservation.

A single Dao Fruit contained tens of thousands of units of spiritual energy, but only ten thousand units had been released just now.

"Quickly perform the breathing technique and the Qi Tempering Art," Master Coffin instructed.

Li Weiyi's face flushed, and his heart pounded rapidly. He struggled to maintain the state of the Jade Void Breathing Technique, using it to exert all his effort in restraining the chaotic spiritual energy within his body.

It was important to note that his first three Qi Seas combined only held a little over four hundred units of spiritual energy.

Suddenly having an additional eight thousand units of spiritual energy that didn't belong to him was far beyond his control. This spiritual energy, originally incredibly pure and belonging to a Dao Seed Realm martial cultivator, was now rapidly dissipating, approaching the level of Fourth-Tier Qi.

The most vital energy was all wasted.

After half a day, Li Weiyi's breathing finally normalized, and the circulation of spiritual energy within his body returned to normal.

Spiritual energy surged from the fourth Qi Sea, flowing through 120 string meridians and into 120 golden trace meridians spread throughout his entire body.

The foreign spiritual energy had strong rejection properties; it had to be circulated continuously within his body to gradually integrate.

Having reached this stage, Li Weiyi finally had the energy to use the Qi Tempering Art from the *Heavenly Demonic Scroll*, refining the eight thousand units of foreign energy strand by strand.

Time flew by.

Li Weiyi finally managed to complete the initial integration of spiritual energy within his body by the seventh day. Now, with just a thought, the spiritual energy from his fourth Qi Sea would surge forth, flowing to various parts of his body. It was no longer like a stagnant, unmovable dead sea, as it had been seven days ago.

"Master Coffin, it seems I've completely mastered the spiritual energy in my fourth Qi Sea. Can I attempt to break through to the fifth Qi Sea now?"

The voice of Master Coffin from underground replied, "Don't mess around; you'll die. You've only just begun the integration process. It will take at least two to three months to fully assimilate and completely temper the foreign spiritual energy from the Dao Fruit. Before then, I won't allow you to attempt to break through to the fifth Qi Sea."