Pengluo cautiously tugged at Li Guanqi's clothes, clambering up onto the crown of his head and resting its chubby, round head atop his hair.
Li Guanqi couldn't help but chuckle. "What are you stacking yourself up there for?"
With a wary look in its eyes, Pengluo held a cautious finger up to its lips. "Shh, don't wake Xiao Gutou. That fellow has an even bigger appetite than me. What if it wakes up and begs for food?"
Watching Pengluo's timid, terrified look, Li Guanqi found it quite amusing. It had originally wanted to act like Xiao Gutou's big brother, but now it had been thoroughly cowed by the little beetle.
Meanwhile, Pengluo added, "These wings can be used to forge immortal artifacts—and pretty formidable ones, too. But Master, you'll need to find a skilled weapon refiner; otherwise, these four pairs of wings will go to waste."
Li Guanqi nodded slightly and carefully put away the pale-gold wings, which were as thin as a cicada's. Though he didn't yet know what other uses the creature had, he felt there was a certain destiny between them. If the Queen Beetle could birth a massive swarm of Xuanjia Bone-Eroding Beetles in the future, it would be a tremendous help to him!
It was just that he didn't know their lifespan, and every single one possessed such terrifying strength. If he wanted to hatch a whole batch, it likely wouldn't be an easy feat.
Still, Li Guanqi didn't dwell on it too much; if he came across any good materials down the line, he would simply remember to save some for Xiao Gutou.
Pengluo's beady eyes darted around, and then it seemed to recall something. "Oh right, Master, this creature seems to feed on ores... Compared to immortal herbs, ores are far more effective for it."
Hearing this, Li Guanqi asked rather skeptically, "You aren't just saying that because it ate your immortal herbs, are you?"
Pengluo wore an embarrassed expression, frantically waving its hands in denial. "How could I! I'm not that kind of person. Everything I said is true."
Half-believing, Li Guanqi retrieved a small chunk of first-grade immortal ore from his storage ring.
Sure enough!
Xiao Gutou groggily wobbled to its feet, ambling sluggishly into Li Guanqi's palm. Its little head bobbed, and upon realizing it was an immortal ore, its eyes flew wide open. In two or three bites, it scarfed the stone down.
Seeing this, Li Guanqi realized it truly was the case. "Then why didn't you say so earlier!"
"Uh... I forgot."
Days in the teleportation passage passed neither quickly nor slowly. Li Guanqi woke twice along the way and discovered that the wings on Xiao Gutou's back had fully regenerated.
On ordinary days, it would roughhouse with Pengluo, though most of the time Xiao Gutou was chasing Pengluo around. If Pengluo couldn't outrun it, a small nibble would be taken out of it. Once, Xiao Gutou chewed off a leaf atop Pengluo's head, leaving Pengluo wailing in tearful outrage.
Li Guanqi gave Xiao Gutou a very stern scolding, which finally made it rein itself in a bit.
Li Guanqi looked at Pengluo and comforted it, "It's fine. Its intelligence isn't as developed as yours, so it might not understand what we say. Just treat it like a little fool."
Pengluo snickered, muttering under its breath, "Right! A fool! Compared to me, it's just a little dummy!"
Looking at it that way made Pengluo feel much better. Even when Xiao Gutou bit off another chunk of its 'flesh,' it would only console itself that the creature was an idiot.
Time flew by. By the time the two were about to emerge from the teleportation array, Li Nanting's cultivation realm was on the verge of breaking through to the Void Refining Realm. Such rapid progress astonished the old man. For a time, he worried his cultivation was advancing too quickly and his foundation would be unstable.
"Is this... a bit too fast?"
Li Guanqi smiled reassuringly. "Master, just set your mind completely at ease. The medicinal pills and spirit stones you've taken are nearly all of the highest caliber. The side effects are negligible, so you have nothing to worry about."
Soon, the seven-colored light flowing through the teleportation passage began to warp slightly. Deep in the pitch-black void ahead, a sliver of radiance beamed toward them from the distance.
The two rose to their feet, while Pengluo pulled Xiao Gutou with it as it ducked into the sword coffin space.
Li Guanqi retrieved the robe he had previously purchased from his storage ring and handed it to the old man, speaking softly: "Master, this is the robe I bought for you. Once worn, its defense is quite formidable—at least below the immortal realm, it'll be difficult for anyone to harm you!"
The robe was deep cyan, resplendent with shimmering light and embroidered with cloud motifs. To the touch, it felt like gossamer silk, harboring intricate mysteries within.
Looking upon the priceless robe in his hands, Li Nanting no longer felt the awkwardness that had weighed on his mind before. He accepted the robe generously and slipped it on. Li Guanqi then took out a purple-gold jade crown from his storage ring and set it on the old man's head.
As the saying goes, clothes make the man, just as the saddle makes the horse; dressed in an immortal-grade robe, the old man's entire demeanor underwent a total transformation. The once rustic-looking elder was transformed into an ethereal, transcendent grandmaster of celestial grace whose true aura was veiled.
Li Nanting had gaunt cheeks, but his posture was remarkably straight and proud. The robe shimmered, naturally adjusting itself to a tailored, flattering fit.
Looking at the otherworldly elder, Li Guanqi nodded with deep satisfaction. "This robe isn't bad; it truly suits my master."
The old man looked down at the robe. Fitted neatly at the waist, it lent his frame a slightly taller stature, leaving him thoroughly pleased as well. "Heh, truly an immortal-grade robe. It's exceptionally comfortable to wear, completely shielding against heat and cold."
The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved slightly. Seeing the elder regain a bit of confidence brought a wave of relief to his heart. Indeed, external trappings truly could help bolster a person's confidence.
Spatial fluctuations enveloped the two. Upon stepping out, they arrived in the city, found an inn at random, and settled down for a brief rest.
It had been a long journey; their time inside the teleportation array had lasted over two months. Cultivating continuously for nearly three months had left both of them somewhat fatigued.
After reaching the inn, the elder rested to recuperate, while Li Guanqi slipped out of the room, flashing away to the peak of a high mountain a hundred li outside the city.
In an instant, Li Guanqi could no longer suppress the restless power roiling within him. The dao rings of spiritual charm manifested behind him, and the third ring had already begun to condense.
Li Guanqi produced over a thousand second-grade immortal crystals and scattered them around himself, placing the spirit-gathering array disc before him. He sat cross-legged atop the mountain peak.
Boom! Rumble!
Across a ten-thousand-zhang radius, winds and clouds surged across the heavens. What had just been a clear, cloudless sky was instantly consumed by roiling dark clouds. Fierce gales erupted amid flashing lightning and crashing thunder, a scene resembling august heavenly might bringing down the thunders of divine retribution. Within the ten-thousand-zhang expanse, stray bolts of lightning crashed down from time to time, blasting through towering ancient trees.
Celestial charm surged around Li Guanqi. Immortal crystals shattered one after another, dissolving into the purest celestial spiritual energy. Between his mouth and nose, two white dragons seemed to dart endlessly in and out.
As the technique within him circulated, it began frantically refining the incoming celestial spiritual energy. Under the surge of thunder and flame, an area of a hundred zhang around Li Guanqi turned entirely into a thunder pool.
The seated silhouette at the center of the thunder pool looked like the presiding deity of this domain of lightning. All the lightning converged beneath him, roiling ceaselessly like billowing ocean waves. Ripples of thunder and lightning radiated outward in all directions.
Silver light flickered at the center of Li Guanqi's brow as he entered an extraordinarily profound state of comprehension. Behind him, the third dao ring of spiritual charm slowly coalesced into solid form at that exact moment. Atop the purplish-black dao ring of spiritual charm were wondrous fiery patterns.
Boom!
The thunder pool surged atop the peak, and in that instant, Li Guanqi's aura was laid bare for all to see!
Heavenly Immortal Realm... Third Tier!
Li Guanqi slowly opened his eyes. Two rays of brilliant essence shot forward, piercing straight through a boulder over a zhang away, as he exhaled a breath of turbid air.
His aura gradually settled, and the dark clouds across the heavens steadily dispersed. Naturally, such a disturbance had attracted the attention of quite a few cultivators. Thinking some precious treasure had emerged, they flew through the air one after another to investigate.
But by the time they arrived, all they saw was a ten-thousand-zhang expanse of scorched earth. There was not the slightest sign of a treasure having surfaced.
"Damn it! After all that, it was just a lightning-path Heavenly Immortal breaking through here!"
"Exactly... Making such a massive fuss, I really thought some supreme treasure had appeared."
Chapter 1722