fifth form

Chapter 3055 A Late-Night Visit
"Longevity pills are like leeches that come with their roots; if you give the pills to Venerable Lei, the matter will inevitably be exposed later!"

"With you blocking my way, what do I have to be afraid of!"

"What do you mean I'll protect you? You don't want me to die once and sever all these connections, do you?"

Li Shaojun felt that the matter of longevity drugs must be kept strictly confidential. Young people might not care, but the elderly are easily tempted and driven to madness.

If they can really refine longevity pills, that's fine too. At worst, we can refine pills and take medicine together in the future, and I can also benefit from it.

The problem is that none of them have any real skills. If they were locked in a dark room by some powerful cultivator to refine pills, that would be a very serious matter.

Li Shaojun had just revealed his well-thought-out ideas when Zhang Xuezhou completely backed down, having already made a plan to extricate himself.

"I don't want to die now. Even if you want me to die, I have to be capable of dying first," Li Shaojun said, jumping up and down.

"I'm not rushing you to die, so why are you in such a hurry!"

Zhang Xuezhou gave a brief reply. Li Shaojun was only happy for a couple of seconds when he suddenly realized that Zhang Xuezhou's agreement was useless; whether he really died or faked his death would have no impact on Zhang Xuezhou.

After Lei Zunzhe left, he couldn't help but curse Zhang Xuezhou in his heart.

But if Li Shaojun were to show it, he wouldn't have the guts.

In his westward journey to find 'Bai', he was destined to need Zhang Xuezhou's help for any chance of a turnaround.

The timing of their departure depends on how long 'Bai' can hold off the two Western religious leaders, and also on Li Shaojun's perception of 'Bai'.

"Don't get angry, calm down... Hey, where are you going?"

"I'm going home to sleep!"

When Li Shaojun saw Zhang Xuezhou wave his hand, leap into the air like a whirlwind, and be accompanied by Rong Tianding, he jumped up and followed.

When Zhang Xuezhou said he was going to sleep, he really was. Li Shaojun followed him for a while, and only when he saw Zhang Xuezhou swaying and drifting towards Chang'an City amidst the wind and waves did he stop following.

"How did this guy cultivate? I've never seen him seriously cultivate, yet his cultivation level has also reached the Solitary Self Realm!"

As long as a cultivator uses magic, their magical power will manifest their cultivation level.

Li Shaojun had shown off his cultivation level in front of Zhang Xuezhou some time ago. He was still in a weakened state, but Zhang Xuezhou was already calm and composed.

Li Shaojun felt that Zhang Xuezhou's cultivation was inexplicable; he was sick and hadn't studied diligently, yet he was more powerful than him.

"Only a Daoist master with a noble heart wouldn't be jealous... Damn it, I'm really upset. How come this guy so easily obtained the cultivation level that I worked my butt off to achieve!"

Li Shaojun comforted himself.

The higher Zhang Xuezhou's cultivation level, the greater his success rate in handling affairs, but the more he tried to comfort himself, the more distressed he became.

Just thinking about all the deaths he'd experienced over the years, the grudges and risks he'd encountered while playing the role of a peerless master in Chang'an, and comparing it to Zhang Xuezhou's peaceful life of marriage and children, free from trouble, made Li Shaojun feel as if his heart was being stabbed.

"Daozhang Li!"

Rong Tianding landed in Laoshu Hutong, Zhang Xuezhou returned to his residence, and Li Shaojun went back to Yunyi Taoist Temple.

He pressed down on the waves beneath his feet, and a voice came from within the dim light.

"Empress Dowager?"

Inside the main hall, a woman dressed in a plain robe walked slowly and lightly, seemingly walking but actually not touching the ground.

As she approached Li Shaojun step by step, Li Shaojun finally saw the woman's face clearly.

He couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. Compared to a seasoned expert like the Empress Dowager, Li Shaojun was undoubtedly a fraud. Li Shaojun rarely interacted with the Empress Dowager; it was one thing if they never met, but any encounter between them was never a good one.

"What urgent matter brings the Empress Dowager here so late at night?"

Li Shaojun spoke cautiously, his magical power still surging.

He tried his best to maintain his expert demeanor, while also being prepared to slip away unnoticed.

"I wonder to what extent Chang Xiu's cultivation has recovered?" the Empress Dowager asked solemnly.

"To be honest, in order to thank Fellow Daoist Dou for our acquaintance, I forcibly activated my cultivation while keeping vigil for her, which made it difficult for my physical strength to recover. To this day, I am only at the early stage of the Sovereign Realm, and I have only one-tenth of my original strength left," Li Shaojun said.

"I wonder what the Daoist Master needs to restore his cultivation?" the Empress Dowager asked. "I have some excellent elixirs that might be of some benefit to him!"

"The Great Pill for True Self cultivation has little effect on me. It takes at least ten times more to restore my cultivation than it did when I first entered the True Self realm," Li Shaojun shook his head and said, "I no longer expect to restore my cultivation!"

"I have three top-grade Mana Creation Pills and sixty-five high-grade Mana Creation Pills. I wonder to what extent they can restore you, Daoist?" the Empress Dowager asked.

"This little bit of Creation Pill..."

Li Shaojun pursed his lips, and quickly changed the two fingers he had raised to four.

He mentioned a few Creation Pills, but Li Shaojun had never seen a top-grade or high-grade Creation Pill before.

He entered the Realm of Sovereignty by relying on the Eight Steps to Immortality Pill to boost the power of the low-grade Creation Pill, which allowed him to barely break through the threshold. This also resulted in a period of empty and growing magical power after he entered the Realm of Sovereignty. He needed to practice hard every day to accumulate magical power in the Realm of Sovereignty until his body was full before he could stop.

This is also why Li Shaojun was somewhat jealous of Zhang Xuezhou.

Even if we don't mention top-grade Creation Pills, one high-grade Creation Pill or two or three mid-grade Creation Pills would be enough to help him get through this awkward period quickly.

Even though he knew perfectly well that the Empress Dowager's visit with gifts was not a good thing, Li Shaojun couldn't calm down just thinking about the quantity and quality of the Creation Pills. He felt that no matter how high the risk, he had to go all out and take the gamble.

If he has even a slim chance of entering the Realm of True Self, the risk of facing 'White' in the future might be extremely low.

Moreover, the Empress Dowager is not the Grand Empress Dowager. When discussing Taoism with her, they do not talk about health preservation and healing, but may involve cultivation. Li Shaojun may even be able to glean some opportunities from her.

Just thinking about the case of Tian Fen, Li Shaojun couldn't help but consider following Tian Fen's path.

"I wonder what urgent matter Fellow Daoist Wang has to discuss? Please tell me, and I'll see if I can handle it!"

Li Shaojun had previously addressed the Empress Dowager with a cold refusal, but now he changed his form of address, which immediately brought a smile to the Empress Dowager's face.

"If the Taoist priest is willing to lend a hand, this matter should not be difficult!"

The Empress Dowager's beautiful eyes swept over Li Shaojun's body.

If it weren't for Li Shaojun's solid combat record at Anle Palace, such as slaying the strange body of the sorcerer from Yedihe Holy Land or forcing back the Nine-Headed Lion Saint, the Empress Dowager would have felt that Li Shaojun's strength was indeed insufficient.

Real combat cannot be faked. The Empress Dowager was a master of real combat. She had accompanied Emperor Jing in many competitions and fought against the leaders of various schools of thought.

"I want to wage an ambush," the Empress Dowager said. "This ambush will bring together many experts from our Han Dynasty's civil and military officials, along with hundreds of thousands of troops to assist in the encirclement and annihilation. As long as the Daoist is willing to lend a hand, these pills will all belong to the Daoist. If the Daoist feels it is insufficient, I can have more pills refined!"

"Aren't you telling me to fight alone, but that all the imperial court's top experts will be mobilized?"

Li Shaojun asked in doubt.

When chaos erupted at Anle Palace, the inadequate arrangement of the imperial guards, the unsuitable terrain of the palace for confrontation, the internal conflicts and factions within the royal family, and the lack of coordination regarding items such as the Demon-Revealing Mirror and the array formations, almost led to a situation where top elites faced off one-on-one.

If that's the case, Li Shaojun felt that this pill would be very troublesome from now on.

When the Empress Dowager explained that setting up an ambush at a specific location would inevitably create a situation where the enemy outnumbered the enemy, Li Shaojun felt that he had discovered an opportunity to make a quick buck.