At the Nine Dragons Immortal Sect.
Even with teleportation inscribed talismans stuck to him, it took Gu Li several full shichen to arrive.
He couldn't help cursing under his breath, "Damn it, why is this bloody Ethereal Immortal Domain so damn huge?!"
"The distance from Qin Imperial City to the Nine Dragons Immortal Sect is bigger than the entire Luoxia Domain! No way, I have to leave a coordinate here."
With that, Gu Li casually flicked out more than ten spatial inscribed talismans, affixing them into crevices among the mountains.
Only after doing all this did he head toward the mountain gate of the Nine Dragons Immortal Sect with peace of mind.
Clasping his hands behind his back, he swaggered up to the entrance, looked at the old man stationed at the gate, and smiled.
"Hey, old man, ask Sect Master Ye for me whether your Nine Dragons Immortal Sect's black flood dragons want true dragon stud services or not."
"As long as Uncle Ye says the word, I'll immediately deliver... Wait, no. Hand over the black flood dragons to me, and I'll do you all this favor."
The old gatekeeper was, after all, a mighty Body Integration Realm expert. Watching the shiftless, swaggering Gu Li, his face instantly darkened.
Qin Wushang possessed exalted status, someone he couldn't afford to provoke, but now any random stray dog thought they could come knocking on the Nine Dragons Immortal Sect's doors to mock them?
Seeing that the old man was on the verge of erupting, Gu Li hastily hurled several inscribed talismans and shouted with an amplified voice: "The seed of a peak sixth-rank true dragon—is the Nine Dragons Immortal Sect saying you don't want it?! Uncle Ye!! Uncle Ye!!"
Enraged, the old man formed a hand seal, and several fist imprints spanning a hundred zhang descended from the sky!
"What petty scoundrel dares shout and make a racket before the mountain gate of my Nine Dragons Immortal Sect?!"
Gu Li's pupils shrank. This old man was no pushover!
Raising his hand, thousands of inscribed talismans formed a tight protective barrier around him. In the next breath, he pinched six purple talismans between his fingers and threw them out.
Six streaks of spiritual light converged into a hundred-zhang grand array, purple luminescence surging as thousands of lightning arcs swept toward the old man like a web!
Boom!! Rumble, rumble!!
Talismans shattered, and the spiritual fist imprints burst one after another!
Amid the void, Gu Li's silhouette actually teleported right out of the raging spatial turbulence.
The old man's brow furrowed slightly. "How does he dare teleport through berserk primal energy?"
A silver-white talisman beneath Gu Li's armpit was burning with flame. In a frantic flurry, he tore it away.
The boundless power of lightning nearly submerged the old man.
With a cold snort, the old man swung his wide sleeve, instantly conjuring white defensive screens that held off the lightning.
Just as the two were about to clash in earnest...
Ye Xuan, who had just stepped out of Ye Bingxin's residence, strode forth into the clearing.
Placing his hands between them, he forcefully suppressed all the erupted power the two had unleashed.
Seeing Ye Xuan appear, the old man bowed hurriedly and said in a heavy voice, "Greetings, Sect Master!"
"Sect Master, this kid..."
Ye Xuan raised a hand to cut him off, his gaze burning intently into Gu Li as he marveled, "The younger generation truly inspires awe."
"Are you Gu Changsheng's son?"
Gu Li wiped the flippant smirk from his face, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Junior Gu Li of the Gu clan pays respects to Uncle Ye."
Ye Xuan smiled and nodded, raising a hand to lift him upright, and said softly, "All right, no need to be so formal. Though I'm not closely acquainted with your father, our minds have long been kindred spirits."
"The true dragon you mentioned—could it be that beast pet of that fellow named Li Guanqi?"
Gu Li curled his lip and nodded slightly. "He's no beast pet—he's Li Guanqi's companion."
"Still, Uncle Ye, I've heard about the matter with Ye Bingxin. It was really just a misunderstanding."
"I went to great pains to talk Brother Li into agreeing to this."
Ye Xuan's eyes flickered, not doubting Gu Li's words in the slightest.
A true dragon's yang essence, if pure, would undoubtedly leave offspring!
Among the nine black flood dragons of the Nine Dragons Immortal Sect, four were female.
If they could truly mate with a true dragon... for the Nine Dragons Immortal Sect, the flood dragons transforming into true dragons would be right around the corner, and the offspring could be given priority nurturing!
Ye Xuan kept his guard up, however, and smiled casually.
"From what I know, Li Guanqi has only just entered the Body Integration Realm, and that Thunder Dragon of his is currently only at the peak of the sixth rank, isn't he?"
"My Nine Dragons Immortal Sect's four female flood dragons are all at the peak of the seventh rank. This seems a bit of a loss for us."
Gu Li curled his lip, turned around without the slightest hesitation, and began walking away.
"Tsk, tsk. After all that, it turns out Uncle Ye has eyes but fails to recognize a treasure."
"In that case, I hope Uncle Ye can find a second true dragon in this Human Spirit Realm."
"As for those nine black flood dragons of yours hoping to transform into dragons... Sigh... Jiuxiao has just devoured Dragon Scale Divine Wood, awakening his ancestral bloodline."
"On top of that, his primordial yang is still intact—this will be his very first time. With the support of my Gu clan, he's currently in a thunder pool preparing to break through into the seventh-rank Demon King Realm."
Gu Li had turned around, but even after saying so much, he had only taken three steps.
What was more, he looked back after every single step, clearly telling Ye Xuan that if he refused this, it would be his massive loss.
Yet Gu Li was willing to bridge the gap and resolve the misunderstanding between both parties; it all came down to whether Ye Xuan was willing to take this graceful exit.
Helpless, Ye Xuan found Gu Li's words made complete sense. He pressed a hand to his forehead and rubbed between his brows.
Calling out to the young man who had barely walked three zhang away, he said, "Fine, fine. Uncle Ye will accept this favor you've brought to my door."
Gu Li turned around with a broad grin, marveling inwardly:
*Tsk, I really am something. When it comes to worldly maneuvering, I must have at least thirty percent of Brother Song's mastery. No, twenty percent... Uh, surely twenty percent.*
*Mmm... still feels like it's missing something. If my dear Songsong were here, I'd probably be drinking sworn-brother toasts with Ye Xuan by now...*
Ye Xuan said, "Come. Follow me to see the black flood dragons. You can take them with you in a moment."
"Besides... would it be better to send this gift to Li Guanqi, or directly to the Great Xia Sword Sect?"
Gu Li hooked an arm around Ye Xuan's arm. This display of familiarity startled the old man behind them.
Such familiarity... it was more intimate than even the younger generation of the Ye clan!
"Listen to what you're saying. Why can't there be a gift for each side?"
"Right now, the Great Xia Sword Sect is at the height of its power. Li Guanqi and the Great Xia Sword Sect are of one body. If the sect prospers, he'll feel all the more indebted to your generosity."
"As for Brother Li's side, just give him some things beneficial to a true dragon. In exchange, you get the chance for four black flood dragons to transform into true dragons, or perhaps carry true dragon offspring."
"No matter how you look at it, the Nine Dragons Immortal Sect comes out way ahead!"
"Uncle Ye, I'm really not just crying hardship here. I wore my tongue down pleading with Brother Li for a long time before he agreed."
Ye Xuan shook off his grip and said hurriedly, "All right, all right, all right. Your uncle gets it. Your uncle will prepare three gifts."
"One for Li Guanqi, one for the Great Xia Sword Sect, and one for you."
Gu Li had barely opened his mouth when Ye Xuan immediately added, "Four gifts! You are you, and the Gu clan is the Gu clan."
Gu Li tilted his head back in admiration. "No wonder the Nine Dragons Immortal Sect flourishes so brightly under your leadership. Truly magnanimous!"
A short while later, the robed youth rose into the air, treading atop a colossal black flood dragon over a hundred and fifty zhang long!
The black flood dragons shattered the void, and enveloped by the glow of inscribed talismans, one man and four dragons vanished into nothingness in an instant.
Within the thunder pool, Jiuxiao suddenly sat upright, his dragon eyes flashing with bright light.
In the distance, four pitch-black flood dragons emerged.
Gu Li waved his hand, eagerly claiming credit: "Brother Jiu!! Four!! I've brought you all four!!"
Chapter 863