The treasures before them shimmered and dazzled the eyes, bathing all of Mount Zhijing in brilliant radiance. Li Ximing held his breath and stepped forward two paces, closely examining the purple-gold profound mace of thunder, then exclaimed:
"Oh!"
Just as he was about to pick it up, his gaze could not resist drifting toward the Lihuo spirit treasure. It appeared as perfectly round as a Golden Core, encircled by golden threads, with various illusory Lihuo hues flowing across it, accompanied by True Fire. Unable to tear his eyes away, his gaze froze in midair:
"Splendid!"
Though his gaze was fixed, his hand subconsciously continued its previous motion, swiftly reaching to his waist to retrieve a jade box, which he pressed into Li Zhouwei's hands, urging:
"Take the pill first!"
Li Zhouwei had in fact already taken a Xuanque Heart-Channeling Medicine inside the grotto-heaven, but the one Li Ximing produced was of Female Water, which was far better suited to his condition. Nodding in agreement, he took it casually and said with a smile:
"Inside, I obtained eight sticks of spiritual incense, five spiritual materials, three spiritual tools of exceptional grade, one Lihuo spirit treasure, a treatise on cultivation, a spiritual matrix seized along the way, two Violet Palace cultivation methods... five spiritual resources... As for the remaining miscellany, ancient Dharma tools and the like are far too many to count!"
"It was precisely because the goods on me were so precious that I feared an ambush outside. It so happened that I found an exit inside, so I emerged early. Otherwise, with the anomaly having only just manifested, I would never have returned to the lake so quickly."
Li Ximing could only say in astonishment:
"This is enough to serve as the foundation to establish a sect! Just how many people's goods did you plunder!"
Li Zhouwei chuckled:
"Great-uncle doesn't know—the wealth of this Wanling Heaven is perhaps unprecedented. Immortal palaces were everywhere within the grotto-heaven, spiritual tools lay displayed, and luxury abounded in every direction. Things so rare in the outside world were set out to the left and right within the immortal palaces merely as ornaments... It far surpassed Anhuai Heaven of back then. One could truly say everyone stuffed themselves full!"
Li Ximing clicked his tongue in awe and shook his head, replying:
"After all, it was the Wanling Superior Sect! How could it be compared to an ordinary lineage? But a spirit treasure is hard to come by—surely it took a great deal of effort!"
Li Zhouwei turned solemn:
"That was indeed out of the ordinary. I offended several parties, none of whom were important figures—some Northern Di lineages, southern demonic cultivators, Mohe, Lianmin... With so many debts, one stops worrying; they were fair game!"
"All the cultivators were scrambling for treasure, so few wasted time fighting. As for that Shilou Yingge, our clash was rather fierce, and these injuries of mine were gifted by him."
He shook his head, his golden eyes mostly calm:
"He got what he asked for; he isn't having an easy time right now either."
"Shilou Yingge!"
Li Ximing knew that man was a mid-stage Violet Palace cultivator and had faced the pressure he exerted before. No wonder he had caused Li Zhouwei so much trouble. Raising his brows, he said:
"All old grudges..."
Li Zhouwei scoffed softly without elaborating, saying:
"First, let me show Great-uncle a treasure!"
With an air of mystery, he raised a hand and flicked beneath the table. Immediately, a jade box hopped out.
The box was covered in dense patterns and shone with flickering light, looking thoroughly extraordinary. Li Ximing recognized it at a glance: it was the jade box Li Tongya had obtained on Lake Central Islet all those years ago. In itself, it possessed no remarkable value, but when it came to containing spiritual materials, it had been the best tool they had possessed over all these years!
Originally, it had been used to hold Taiyin Moon Splendor and moon branches. Later, when the Heaven of Sun and Moon in Mutual Splendor was opened, all those things were moved into that world, where not a fraction would deteriorate, so this jade box had been retrieved.
His curiosity was instantly piqued:
"What treasure requires this to store it?"
When the lid was lifted, a blazing, bright white flame was burning vigorously inside!
The flame was a dazzling, pure white, and wrapped faintly around the bright white core were numerous pale gray, nearly invisible flames. At this moment, it surged violently upward, and a ferocious, scorching heat rushed straight toward them, shaking Li Ximing to the core:
"A Violet Palace spiritual flame!"
Having immense experience in this domain, a single glance was enough to leave him aghast:
"A Combined Fire related to the Sun!"
Li Zhouwei had anticipated his delight and smiled:
"Spiritual materials rarely seen on ordinary days are plentiful in the grotto-heaven!"
How could Li Ximing hear anything at this moment? Hurriedly extending two fingers, he wiped lightly across the jade box, refining the flame in an instant!
*Hum!*
The blazing white flame immediately leaped onto his palm, dancing with joyous vigor. Li Ximing closed his eyes slightly, his heart surging with immense excitement as he said:
"What a marvelous spiritual flame!"
Li Zhouwei asked with a smile:
"Does Great-uncle recognize it?"
This struck right at his passion. Li Ximing chuckled and replied:
"I do know a bit about it! Back then, when I heard Real Person Yuandao expound upon the Dao, there was a kind of fire called 'Congyu Combined Fire.' I gained some enlightenment from that, and afterward, I made a point of researching and gathering lore to quietly piece things together..."
"The Grand Real Person mentioned that the Piyu bird resonates with the Three Suns to produce three kinds of fire. The one corresponding to Mingyang is the essence of lust fire beyond born desires—that is the second fire. But the one corresponding to the Sun is the first, known as 'Sun Combined Fire'... Legend holds that its power is boundless. The Piyu bird bestowed it upon one of its descendants, known as the 'Yang Star Great Bird.' The descendants of the Yang Star Great Bird called themselves Tianwu, and what they wielded was precisely this 'Tianwu Combined Fire' before us!"
Disbelief and shock still lingered in his eyes as he continued:
"I don't know much about this item, but among Combined Fires, it stands among the very foremost ranks! You don't wield flames, so you don't know its terror... If a Violet Palace cultivator of Combined Fire obtained this, it would suffice for them to carve out a renowned name across the Violet Palace realm!"
"In all these years... this is the most precious spiritual flame I have ever laid eyes upon! Even the Lesser Peacock Karma of back then fell short of it!"
"Oh?"
Li Zhouwei had not expected the flame to be so extraordinary. Stirred, he pondered and said:
"That makes sense! I recall that in Xinhu Palace there was a screen painted with a Piyu bird, its beak pointed toward the sun, featuring three round positions in total. It must correspond to this lore."
Li Ximing was overjoyed as he put the flame away, laughing:
"Though softened considerably by the Sun, this flame still possesses the sinister ways of Combined Fire. It can scorch the Dharma body and whittle away Dharma power, clinging like maggots to bone and proving exceedingly difficult to purge. Moreover, it can summon the sun to slay adversaries with mighty power..."
"Though its might is great, first, the consumption of Dharma power is heavy; second, its force is difficult to control. The latter isn't much of a problem... The key is that it is simply too rare. I should still consult several seniors!"
Li Ximing's 'not much of a problem' naturally referred to Gu Wind Fire Summoning. Having happily accepted it, he watched Li Zhouwei bring out the remaining items. Among them was a jar of 'Shangyi' spiritual material, tied intrinsically to the Profound Essence Technique of Cultivating the Heart; naturally, it could not be touched and had to be kept within the clan.
Next was an exceedingly conspicuous jade ring, gleaming with misty colors and soaked in rouge. The Harmony of Upper Good Bright Xuan Jade and Longxuan White Jade was counted as a kind of Violet Palace spiritual material, extraordinarily precious:
"This item is formidable. Great-uncle, take it and consult Real Person Zhusheng of the Southern Border."
Li Ximing turned it over repeatedly in admiration. Li Zhouwei then brought out another item, sparkling with brilliant, crystal-like colors and dazzling light, causing Li Ximing to raise his brows in delight:
"Now that lost spiritual material has been replenished! Otherwise, I truly would not have known how to explain myself to Wan'er!"
It was none other than the Complete Dan spiritual material, Six-Phase Bearing Color!
This item was truly out of the ordinary, mentioned in the Houshu Golden Scripture and far rarer than the Nine-Colored Xuan Quicksilver of back then... A treasure of the Complete Dan path, it could aid transformations, and when refined into a spiritual tool, it was even more miraculous!
This sight made Li Ximing both regretful and overjoyed. Human hearts are hard to satisfy after all, and he could not help but sigh:
"To think it is such a wondrous spiritual material! If the Nine-Colored Xuan Quicksilver were still around, this could have been saved for her to refine a tool after reaching the Violet Palace, which would surely elevate her divine abilities to another level... What a pity!"
Li Zhouwei gave no definite opinion, saying with a smile:
"Seldom is everything completely satisfied in life; let us watch how things unfold."
These were all things he had obtained early on. Pausing slightly, he brought out yet another profound box, gently lifting its lid to reveal a flash of white light.
Resting inside was a piece of water-gold about a finger long, radiating kaleidoscopic, mist-like golden light, while a dense water vapor settled at the bottom, dark blue in color.
"A Conjoined Water spiritual material!"
This jade box contained that very streak of white light seized from Helian Wujiang. Li Zhouwei's luck was exceptionally good—it was not a spiritual resource, but indeed a spiritual material! He smiled and said:
"Our family does not possess a Conjoined Water lineage, so I cannot identify what it is... But that is no trouble. I am acquainted with Daoist Nun Xiangchun; I will send a letter to ask."
Conjoined Water was a prominent Dao of the present age, even one of the rare Great Daos that had remained manifest without interruption from antiquity to today, boasting considerable numbers. Although the circumstances inside the grotto-heaven differed somewhat, spiritual materials of this path were still not lacking.
Li Zhouwei was not surprised, whereas Li Ximing sighed:
"No wonder everyone flocks to it like ducks to water. These five spiritual materials combined would have taken me centuries to gather..."
"And that is not all!"
Li Zhouwei then unfastened the Biting Qingyuan Profound Tripod and placed it into Li Ximing's hands, saying solemnly:
"This is the Biting Qingyuan Profound Tripod. Though its might in combat is modest, its auxiliary utility is immense. It can refine spiritual water by drawing upon spiritual materials, surpassing the vast majority of present-day spiritual tools in its ingenuity! Only inside Wanling Heaven could such a treasure be found..."
Li Ximing took it in hand. Li Zhouwei's gaze swept over the purple-gold profound mace and the Lihuo spirit treasure, and he said:
"Of these two treasures, one is an elite among spiritual tools, and the other is a spirit treasure. While I heal my injuries, I must trouble Great-uncle to refine them..."
Li Ximing assented repeatedly, smiling:
"I also have a jade talisman here, so that makes three treasures to refine. It will take quite some time... But it is a labor of love; such days will be hard to come by in the future."
Li Zhouwei laughed heartily, withdrew an object from his sleeve, and presented it on his palm for him to see. It was a palm-sized golden jade shard, its patterns flickering, bearing a slight curvature. Li Ximing froze:
"There's more?!"
The golden-eyed youth merely smiled:
"Indeed!"
With a flick of his wrist, the jade shard flipped gently in midair, abruptly turning into golden light that extended like water. By the time it settled back into his palm, it had transformed into a gold spear about a zhang in length, entirely golden in color.
The spear was exceedingly peculiar: completely smooth from end to end, devoid of any engravings or stylistic contours. The spearhead and shaft were integrated as one, appearing utterly unassuming.
Li Zhouwei said with a hint of regret:
"This is also a spiritual tool, named the Light-Descending Yingqi Edge. It originally came in a set of six. When they flew forth, I only managed to seize one, so its might is not fully manifested, yet it can still be put to use."
"The Light-Descending Yingqi Edge..."
Li Ximing was slightly surprised. Hearing the admiration in Li Zhouwei's voice, he listened as the youth explained:
"This item was forged from Free Gold spiritual materials. In order to highlight the uncaused, effectless, carefree nature of Free Gold, the original creator engraved no profound patterns whatsoever, pushing the innate capacity of Free Gold to its utmost limit..."
"Hence, this item is quite unique. Though it possesses no grand divine ability of its own and travels through the Great Void rather slowly, its resistance to arts and techniques is extremely high, making it difficult to target or divine. When all six strike together, they carry the wondrous effect of 'Neither Cause nor Effect'..."
"Formidable!"
This method of tool-crafting was exceedingly rare, completely departing from today's trend of chasing multiple profound patterns and diverse wonders. Li Ximing nodded repeatedly in contemplation, saying:
"The ingenuity of Douxuan cultivators is truly eye-opening!"
This Light-Descending Yingqi Edge was naturally better suited for Li Zhouwei, so Li Ximing pushed it back for him to keep. Only then did Li Zhouwei take stock of the final haul from the Palace of Lihuo, placing a gorgeous, deep-crimson jade slip onto the table with a faint smile:
"The ancient Lihuo cultivation method, the *Chongguang Fire Illuminating Scripture*, which enables the divine ability 'Ninefold Enclosure'!"
Li Ximing took it to examine and marveled:
"Jiangqian has his lineage now!"
Li Zhouwei sat to the side, taking out spiritual water to douse the lingering flames on his body to nurture and mend his injuries, and remarked:
"More than that. Although this technique is an ancient art, it is exceedingly marvelous. Moreover, it was conceived right when the Path of Violet Palace and Golden Core was first established—abstruse, obscure, and valuing life above all... It holds great profundity; one who cultivates this technique would find it very difficult to deviate toward the Heavenly Embryo Demonic Path..."
"What is even more rare is that secret arts in that grotto-heaven were often consolidated in the hands of people of noble status and sealed away by unknown means. Yet the master of this Palace of Lihuo was either someone of such high status, or completely free from the control of superiors, as three secret arts are appended directly to the end!"
In fact, according to Li Zhouwei's judgment, the palace was not located at the center of the mountain peak but rather toward the periphery, suggesting that the latter possibility was more likely. Keeping this thought in mind, he changed the subject and said:
"All of these factors mean that our family can let truly talented descendants cultivate this method, with no small probability of breaking through to the Violet Palace!"
Li Ximing nodded repeatedly. Li Zhouwei then opened the two jade boxes obtained alongside it. One contained crimson spiritual qi—precisely the Mingyi Chongguang Qi required by the *Chongguang Fire Illuminating Scripture*, a full nine portions.
The other box was even more brilliant, holding pigeon-egg-sized crimson gems from which rolling waves of Lihuo qi immediately surged forth. There were five in total, each bright and of supreme quality, with the central one nestled among them, gleaming bright gold.
"Those around it are the Violet Palace spiritual resource Red Light Li Amber..."
Li Zhouwei glanced at it, finding it peculiar. The one in the center should be a spiritual material, though he could not identify it. He pondered inwardly:
'It looks as though it was prepared long ago to pass down the lineage... Could the master have foreseen the fate of Wanling Heaven and prepared the spiritual qi in advance? What a pity that there wasn't time to visit the other side hall; I missed out on the Lihuo spiritual tool...'
One had to understand that the *Chongguang Fire Illuminating Scripture* contained methods for harvesting qi, though troublesome, and whether they still worked today remained unknown... Yet the fact that the master of the Li Palace had made such preparations showed clear anxiety that the spiritual qi would dissipate after the upheaval of heaven and earth. The master must have understood that while Wanling Heaven could endure for a considerable period, it had no true future...
As several thoughts wound through his mind, Li Ximing exhaled softly and chuckled:
"With all these things, we finally have the spiritual resources to forge spiritual armor!"
Li Zhouwei had not expected him to still be dwelling on the spiritual armor. Stunned for a moment, he watched his great-uncle sweep the materials into his sleeve, then simply accepted it with a smile, saying:
"I trouble Great-uncle, then!"
The rest were hard to assess. Li Ximing waved him off while receiving the silver bell, the spiritual matrix of Treasury Gold, in high spirits:
"Senior Liu has been watching over things in the East Sea, yet we have never had anything to repay him with. This spiritual matrix of Treasury Gold is more than enough. He will certainly be thrilled, and if anything arises, he can lend a hand..."
Li Ximing also examined the eight sticks of gold-patterned profound incense, but could make little sense of them, estimating that only figures from Douxuan lineages could recognize them. Unfortunately, one was Chijiao Island and the other was Changxiao Gate, both on increasingly worse terms with their family. Thinking it over, the only somewhat peaceful party was Duxian.
As he was musing, Li Zhouwei prepared to enter seclusion to heal and reminded him:
"That spirit treasure... Great-uncle, remember to refine it first. Perhaps it may even resonate with the *Chongguang Fire Illuminating Scripture*!"
Li Ximing nodded repeatedly as he saw him out, replying:
"Leave the miscellaneous matters to me. Just focus on healing with peace of mind; I will certainly see everything done properly for you."
Yet as they reached the mountain woods, Li Ximing saw the young man suddenly recall something. Li Zhouwei turned around, his brows spirited and his eyes shining, and smiled:
"That Helian Wujiang... I've avenged Great-uncle against him as well!"
Chapter 979