No sooner said than done. Gu Changsheng and the others did not say much more; after all, they had already poured everything they had into obtaining this pill recipe.
Only Xiang Huaizhi frowned slightly, lost in thought. He did not intervene, however, trusting that Li Guanqi had plans of his own.
Flanked by Pengluo and Jiuxiao, Li Guanqi bowed to the crowd. "Junior offers his deepest thanks to all seniors."
The elders waved their hands with smiles.
Shortly after, Meng Wanshu and Li Guanqi vanished into the boundary. Behind them, Gu Li wailed at the top of his lungs, "Brother Li! Brother Li, you're not taking me with you?!"
Gu Changsheng slapped the back of his head and snapped, "Piss off and go into secluded meditation! You just gained enlightenment and you're already running all over the place! Squandering such precious post-enlightenment lingering resonance just to play matchmaker!"
Gu Li rubbed his head and muttered, "Wasn't Brother Jiu about to break through...? Besides, without me, what would you have used as the medicinal primer?"
As he spoke, Gu Li produced a massive jade bottle and handed it to his father.
Gu Changsheng froze holding the bottle of dragon blood. Seeing the bloodshot eyes of Han Yuan and the others, he hastily tucked it away.
In the end, unable to bear the pangs of his conscience, he took out a jade slip and passed it to Gu Li. "Ahem... well... Little Friend Li asked me to give you this."
Sweeping his divine sense inside, Gu Li saw the dragon scales stored within and rolled his eyes. His mouth twitched, and he looked at Gu Changsheng with pure sarcasm. "Oh my, you really are my dear father. If I hadn't brought out the dragon blood, I bet my dear father would've pocketed these dragon scales for himself, wouldn't you?"
Gu Changsheng sneered. "Take it or leave it. Don't think I don't know you kept at least two bottles of dragon blood for yourself, you brat."
Gu Li's expression stiffened. He had never expected his little scheme to be seen through so completely. Pretending he had heard nothing, he simply turned on his heel and walked away.
Instantly, Gu Changsheng was surrounded by the old men.
"Dragon blood! Share some with me! Name your price, I'll pay!"
"Give me a bit! My grandson's body tempering has hit a bottleneck, and I want to replenish my own yang energy as well..."
"Old Gu, you know how many years of friendship we share!"
Unlike the other elders who threw all dignity to the wind, Xiang Huaizhi kept his poise, but he too held out a hand. "Give me half."
Gu Changsheng's voice pitched an octave higher. "What?! Half?! Xiang Huaizhi, are you out of your damn mind, demanding half right off the bat?! Why didn't you go ask Li Guanqi yourself?!"
Xiang Huaizhi shrugged. "I didn't dare. That boy treasures his true dragon like his own life. If anyone tried to draw its blood, he'd never agree. I already asked the Nine Dragons Immortal Sect for an offspring of a true dragon; this stuff will come in handy later."
Han Yuan and the others froze upon hearing this. "An offspring of a true dragon?"
"The Nine Dragons Immortal Sect... wait, what?!"
"A black flood dragon from the Nine Dragons Immortal Sect mated with a true dragon and produced offspring?!"
Han Yuan did not say another word. He took off at a sprint.
The other two elders exchanged a look and cursed aloud, "Wait for us! Let's go together!"
With that, the two also dashed off in a whirlwind.
Xiang Huaizhi extended his hand again, smiling faintly. "Old Gu, can you give it to me now?"
Gu Changsheng rolled his eyes, thoroughly annoyed. "Give you what? With Ye Xuan's temper, it'll be a miracle if he agrees to those three. I really wonder what price you had to pay."
Xiang Huaizhi smiled faintly, making no attempt to hide it. "The qualification to enter the Seventh Domain."
Gu Changsheng's brow knitted tightly, and his voice dropped. "You have the authority to grant him entry? Then why haven't you let me go, despite how many times I've asked?"
Xiang Huaizhi drew back his hand and said softly, "The Ye clan holds considerable standing in the Ethereal Immortal Domain. Furthermore, in the aftermath of what happened with the Yu clan, the Ye clan needs to be brought into the fold. As for you, the time has not yet come."
Xiang Huaizhi had not rejected Gu Changsheng, which meant that so long as no major catastrophe occurred, Gu Changsheng was guaranteed entry into the Seventh Domain.
Gentle and refined like a scholarly gentleman, Xiang Huaizhi said softly, "There should be news before long. Of course, all of this is thanks to Gu Li. Your entry into the Seventh Domain can be considered a father rising on his son's coattails."
Gu Changsheng curled his lip. Loath as he was to admit it, that truly was the case.
Lowering his voice, Gu Changsheng sent a mental transmission: "Then... what about Li Guanqi...?"
Xiang Huaizhi's expression turned stern. His eyes narrowed, sharp as blades.
Crimson flames instantly engulfed the entire hall. The man who had just been conversing as an old friend now glared at Gu Changsheng like a god of slaughter. His cold voice sounded slowly.
"I advise you not to pry any further."
"I am willing to warn you, but... Long Hou and Hong Zhi won't."
"Even if it were Chankongzi, if you dared ask two more questions today, the entire Gu clan would be pulverized by his fist force."
Gu Changsheng swallowed hard, realizing he had crossed the line.
Back then, Long Hou had leveled Mingchuan with a single spear thrust. In the eyes of mighty cultivators like them, that feat revealed far deeper implications. Many had speculated about Li Guanqi's true background, yet no matter how much they pondered, no definitive answer ever emerged. They could only deduce that his origins were profoundly mysterious and terrifyingly powerful.
Gu Changsheng thought to himself, *Meng Jiangchu being able to go to the Seventh Domain right now probably has everything to do with his daughter as well...*
Xiang Huaizhi took a deep breath, slowly retracting the Solar Flames, and gave an earnest warning.
"The closer Gu Li's bond with Li Guanqi is, the more advantageous it will be for you."
"As for the rest, do not ask what you shouldn't ask."
"Also, do your best to protect that big white turnip. If you can bestow some benefits upon it, all the better."
Gu Changsheng offered the true dragon blood with both hands, let out a long, turbid breath, and said in a heavy voice, "Understood."
***
The Ethereal Immortal Domain.
Li Guanqi and Meng Wanshu stepped onto the void, taking their first proper look at this world.
This realm was hardly any different from the world outside, save that its territory was boundless beyond measure. Its spiritual energy was several times richer than that of the external Six Domains.
While the two were marveling at their surroundings, the three old elders rushed furiously into the Nine Dragons Immortal Sect and cornered Ye Xuan.
Listening to the three old men clamoring at once, Ye Xuan felt his head throbbing.
"Enough! Stop tugging on my damn collar!"
"All of you, go home! The Nine Dragons Immortal Sect is going into seclusion, and the remaining offspring won't be given to anyone!"
"Now get the hell out of here!"
Boom!
A tempest of violent power swept across heaven and earth, hurling the three elders straight out beyond the mountain gate.
The old gatekeeper nodded in satisfaction, muttering to himself, "Now that's more like it... Guarding this gate lately had me half-depressed."
Meng Wanshu asked softly, "Where do we head next?"
Li Guanqi considered it for a moment, then replied in a low voice, "Searching blindly like this will just have us running around like headless flies. Actually, I just remembered someone who might be able to help."
Chapter 875