Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1186, Volume 1175: The God of Balance
The spiritual items of the Hengzhu sect rarely flow out; the vast majority are in the hands of the Hengzhu sect in the south. Li Ximing had never even heard of related spiritual artifacts, but upon hearing this, his interest was piqued. Yang Ruizhao sighed:

"Initially, the officials gathered to discuss the matter and mentioned the King of Wei's injuries. It should have been a 'Horn Wood' spiritual treasure!"

'Hornwood' is also excellent…'

No matter which lineage a treasure belongs to, once it becomes a spiritual treasure, it won't be much different. The Li family's current net worth is already extremely high, but the only spiritual treasures that truly belong to them are three on the surface. One of them, the [Heavenly Nurturing Jar], was bestowed directly by the Song Emperor, bypassing the Yang family.

Yang Ruizhao paused slightly at this point, and then said:
"However, His Majesty heard that the nobles had discussed matters with the Chunyi sect, and also heard that the King of Wei was quite interested in that black tiger. Before his departure, His Majesty specially sent someone to exchange it for this 'Hengzhu' spiritual treasure..."

So far, Emperor Song's attitude towards the Li family has remained friendly, so Li Ximing naturally didn't think the emperor would do anything malicious. However, a sense of unease welled up in his heart, and he asked with a smile:

"Xuan Hu?"

Yang Ruizhao laughed and replied:

"Indeed! Wasn't the black tiger that King Wei captured precisely because he had some kind of purpose?"

Li Ximing's doubts deepened.

Li's act of collecting demonic creatures was ostensibly a process of refining and extracting spiritual essences using the [Heavenly Nurturing Jar]. As the former owner of the [Heavenly Nurturing Jar], Yang could not possibly be unaware of this... If it were an ordinary demonic creature, that would be one thing, but why would a beast of the earth be mentioned as a mount?
Despite his doubts, Li Xi's smile widened as he said:
"Xuan Ting is far away in the south, yet he knows everything. Zhao Jing is deeply grateful..."

His words, though seemingly casual, were actually barbed, which startled Yang Ruizhao, who immediately felt remorse.

'He's a Purple Mansion True Person, after all; he has a temper... If I overstep my bounds and displease him!'

This made him break out in a cold sweat, and he quickly said:

"You flatter me, Master. This beast is under the jurisdiction of the Shakya clan and is not a Maha. Although it possesses all the supernatural powers and magic, it is not a celestial being. Even if it falls into the [Heavenly Nurturing Jar], it will not be able to extract anything. You gentlemen, seeing that the heavens do not display a sky full of lotus blossoms, suspect that the King of Wei is missing a mount and is considering getting rid of it..."

When Li Ximing heard his words, he was both shocked and horrified.

'That black tiger cannot absorb spiritual energy!'

During the great war between the North and the South, he captured a pitiful creature and a black tiger and put them into a urn. Later, when he returned to his residence after the war, he used the black tiger for sacrifice, but the pitiful creature was of no use. He simply put it down and left it in the spirit urn without paying any attention to it.

Since his own family intended to use it for sacrificial rites, he would never use the miraculous essence of the spirit urn, and naturally he would not know about its unusual properties!

However, in Yang's eyes, the Li family's acceptance of two Buddhist cultivators and their inaction were clearly intentional. But after much thought, Yang still couldn't figure out Li's intentions and could only conclude that they wanted to use this demon.

The moment Li Ximing cleared his mind, his spiritual sense connected with the magical treasure in his sleeve. His expression was full of emotion as he replied with a smile:
"I'm afraid the messenger will laugh at me, but my family initially captured this monster to extract spiritual resources. However, after bringing it back to the lake and examining it closely, we discovered it was unusable..."

At this point, he changed the subject and sighed:

“Look…King Wei is seriously injured and has entered seclusion, so I cannot see him. How could I presume to make a decision? Therefore, I suppressed him along with Lianmin, extracting some information about the Buddhist monks from the north. As for the matter of the mount…”

He shook his head:
"I have considered it, but it's a bit too difficult. If one entrusts their life to the land of Buddha, how can they find liberation?"

He deftly deflected the matter, half-truthfully passing the buck to Yang Ruizhao. A look of realization dawned on the black-clad man's eyes; he nodded secretly and immediately said:

"It's not that there's no way. While one cannot become an immortal, one can be elevated to the mortal realm, enter the demonic path, and be reborn in a different realm. Although this will cost most of one's life, it is still a viable path."

Li Ximing actually knew the method he mentioned.

Strictly speaking, the Dao of Immortality is actually the ancient Dao of "cultivating one's nature through breathing exercises," which is difficult to convert to Buddhism. The "Purple Gold Demonic Path," to put it nicely, is the Dao of Immortality today, but to put it bluntly, it is a kind of unorthodox and heretical path, so converting to Buddhism is extremely convenient.

Entering the Buddhist realm is easy, but leaving it is as difficult as ascending to heaven. Although there is a way to escape into the demonic path, it is a matter of life and death. Throughout history, almost no one has tried it. Unless one takes advantage of the great fortune of the world, even if one succeeds, one will fall far behind. Not to mention this Xuanhu is just a pitiful creature... It has no supernatural powers and magic, and has fallen to the level of a Foundation Establishment demon. Who would even look at it?
"This road is blocked!"

Li Ximing shook his head, but Yang Ruizhao laughed:

"Besides the demonic path, isn't there also the divine path, which has long since disappeared?"

Seeing Li Ximing frown in surprise, Yang Ruizhao said in a gentle tone:
"That's why I specially brought this treasure here. This [Xuanheng Imperial Edict Pill] is located in the 'Hengzhu' position, weighing the weight of life and death and impartially judging the merits of sacrifices. Therefore, the gods who receive blessings are given special consideration... This artifact, though idle in the state, can be used to instruct a god in the court!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ximing frowned and said:

"Imperial command?"

The Li family was not unfamiliar with objects capable of bestowing titles upon minor deities; Li Ximing had once obtained a [Mountain-Supervising Spirit-Enhancing Talisman], belonging to the "Capital Guard" sect. However, in the present age, almost all related magical properties had been greatly diminished, making the minor deities conjured by such talismans utterly vulnerable…

Therefore, upon hearing of this miraculous power, Li Ximing was already secretly disappointed, but Yang Ruizhao laughed and said:
"Exactly! There are many methods of imperial conferment in ancient times. Some are consecrated out of thin air, some rely on mountains and rivers, and some are based on one's destiny before death. There are also methods of imperial conferment among the two types of conferment. 'Qingxuan' can even confer conferment on living beings and govern spiritual mountains, while 'Hengzhu' is usually performed with magic, leaving the conferment in the body of others through talismans or pills."

Yang Ruizhao said:

"This magical treasure contains a wondrous substance called the 'Blessing God.' After refining it, it can be implanted into a demonic entity. With the aid of various spiritual resources, it can seize the demon's life and become a god!"

A slight smile appeared on his face as he picked up the jade slip on the other side, held it in his hand, and said:

"This technique is complex. Without the cooperation of a 'Hengzhu' cultivator, it will fail nine out of ten times! But this jade slip contains the insights of predecessors on how to use this technique. When combined with the incantation secrets within, the success rate can be greatly increased."

Clearly, the other party had put in a lot of effort. Li Ximing immediately became interested and raised his eyebrows, saying:
"How much power? Can it even stop Pity?"

He didn't actually have much hope, but Yang Ruizhao solemnly shook his head and said:
“The Master has misunderstood. The simple methods of consecrating gods have almost all collapsed in the present day. Even if a spiritual treasure is consecrated with the help of other methods, it can never compare with supernatural powers. But there is only one exception, ‘Hengzhu’, which is a manifest position.”

'That one, Hengzhu… is still in the south!'

Li Ximing was taken aback, quite sternly, as the person before him solemnly raised his eyebrows:

"Although this technique has many troubles, the black tiger in the nobleman's possession is also a rare and special creature. If this method can be used to bypass the Shakya clan and achieve success, it may be comparable to the past!"

Li Ximing looked at him with some disbelief and repeated:
"Magic?"

The black-clad messenger laughed and replied:
"Otherwise, what would you think... why would this thing have been the object of so much emulation by cultivators back then?"

He looked at Li Ximing, extended his hand, and said:

"This is only one of the three divine wonders of this spiritual treasure! If it were a 'Hengzhu' cultivator, this divine wonder would greatly increase, and another one could be added, making it four divine wonders!"

His gaze was full of meaning as he said:

"His Majesty personally retrieved this treasure. Otherwise, it would have been treasured for many years as a supreme national treasure to suppress the fate of the nation!"

Only now did Li Ximing realize the true significance of Emperor Yang Zhuo's generous gift. This was not the incomplete "Heavenly Nurturing Jar," nor the "Qianyang Bracelet" crafted as a ceremonial gift, nor the "Double Fire Brightness Instrument" created in recent times. This was a genuine, top-grade spiritual treasure that had once guided the world's weapon refiners throughout history!

To put it bluntly, this item alone is more than enough to repay Li Zhouwei for his merits!
'What he meant was... in order to obtain this item, the Song Emperor played a trick on Lady Yang, temporarily substituting it for Lingbao, forcing Lady Yang to give it to him as a compromise...'

Li Ximing was both surprised and delighted, even a little overwhelmed by the favor. He was extremely grateful and bowed deeply.
"The Emperor's grace is boundless!"

Yang Ruizhao nodded with a smile. Only then did Li Ximing lift his sleeve, reach out, and pinch the silver-based, red-patterned, pill-shaped spiritual treasure. Dark gold flowed through it, displaying a variety of colors, and it was extremely heavy.

Both being elixir-shaped spiritual treasures, this item is completely different from the [Double Fire Brightness], whose golden threads are lively and lifelike. It is icy cold, and when held in the hand, it feels like a silver-iron elixir. When the Bright Yang Divine Power penetrates deep into it, it feels bottomless. Li Ximing raised his eyebrows and asked in doubt:

"This item... is not refined?"

Yang Ruizhao hurriedly said:
"This item was originally a set of [Five Edicts of the Profound Realm]. Although this pill is powerful, it is only one-fifth of the original, making it difficult to transfer. Unless it is transferred from one 'Complete Pill' cultivator to another, even if cultivator Hengzhu comes, he can only refine it again!"

"It's quite strange."

His own [Huayang King's Axe] also possessed similar characteristics. Li Ximing nodded with a smile, carefully storing it into his divine power, and cupped his hands in greeting:
"I have also taken in a pitiful soul in my Heavenly Nurturing Jar. I present this to Your Majesty in Tingzhou. Please have the messenger escort him back and execute him before the Imperial Court to uphold the might of the True Qi!"

Yang Ruizhao's eyes lit up with joy, and he said:
"Excellent! Truly righteous!"

This pity was of no use to them, so it was better to return the favor to the Song Emperor. Li Ximing smiled and returned the gift, tacitly sending them off. When they arrived in the wilderness, they saw that Yang Ruizhao's brows were glowing with purple light, and streams of true qi light rose from his body as his martial arts power slowly returned!
Then he took the urn from his sleeve, and gently tossed it into the wind. The urn transformed into the size of a mountain peak, its dark mouth resembling another world. Inside, a boy stood, bowing deeply in worship.
"I've met two adults!"

Li Ximing was at ease outside, all thanks to Shi'er's supervision inside. He saw two groups of Shi Guang standing at opposite ends of the dark darkness. Shi Zheng was cultivating with his eyes closed on the east side, while Xuan Hu was curled up on the west side, covered in injuries and full of vigilance towards his fellow cultivator.

As soon as Li Ximing appeared, both the human and the demon changed color. Yang Ruizhao did not give them a chance to speak. He took out the bronze cauldron from his sleeve, shone it on Lianmin, and dragged him out, completely ignoring his pleas for mercy.

Li Ximing glanced at it; the black tiger lay in the corner, its shattered eyes staring at the ground, as if enduring hatred.

'He's actually quite loyal.'

Li Ximing chuckled and stepped out of the magical artifact. Yang Ruizhao, having already captured Lianmin, looked at Li Ximing as if nothing had happened:
"Jiang Liang will be in charge of the rest of the affairs. I have important matters to attend to and will not delay any longer. If there is an imperial order in the future, Rui Zao will still come to Tingzhou. I hope you will take good care of me then."

Li Ximing's heart skipped a beat, and he nodded thoughtfully. His thoughts quickly faded, and he happily pondered the sleeveful of treasures. Li Jiangliang, who had been waiting for a while, finally looked up and asked about his father Li Zhouwei's injuries, hesitatingly replying:
"There is still one matter that I must report to the Master."

Li Ximing looked at him with a smile, his expression questioning. Li Jiangliang solemnly replied:

"This junior... will now seek supernatural powers!"

The man showed a hint of surprise, did some quick calculations, and then sighed:
"It's...it's time!"

Li Zhouwei, in his current state devoid of any semblance of righteousness, would absolutely never appear in the public eye. Li Ximing raised his eyes, his expression softening slightly.
"At such a critical moment of life and death, you and your son should have been able to reunite, but unfortunately, this has happened... If there's anything in the family that can help you, please don't hesitate to ask..."

"There's no need to disturb Father!"

Li Jiangliang's expression was complex, tinged with bitterness, as he raised his head:

"My breakthrough is much less risky and takes less time, but... but! For us who reach the level of Xuan and then become supernatural beings, we can never be separated from the light of martial arts and the Dao Court of True Qi in this life."

His tone was calm, yet it carried a chilling sense of oppression. Li Ximing was taken aback, and after a long pause, he whispered:

"Then...you'll return to Tingzhou from now on..."

Li Jiangliang shook his head quietly:
"Although I don't have to give up my life like Shi Xiu, my supernatural powers can never be separated from my true qi again. I can stop holding the Xuan, but I can't leave the watchful eyes of martial arts practitioners or my official position in the court. If I lose my power even for a single night, I will be demoted from the Yang realm. It's not as simple as falling back to the Foundation Establishment stage. Even if I can keep my life, all my supernatural powers will vanish like flowing water!"

He said quietly:
“I had anticipated my current situation and was not surprised. I had a deep-seated hope that one day I could return to the lake to serve the country, but I never imagined that it would become a delusion.”

"This time, I've also come to say goodbye to my homeland!"

Li Ximing felt a complex mix of emotions, gazing intently at the golden-eyed youth before him.

'No wonder… there's no such thing as a free lunch… in this way, even supernatural powers and cultivation are secretly in the hands of the Song Emperor! Even if the Song Emperor doesn't mistreat his subjects… he's still ultimately controlled by someone else!'

Even though he had heard rumors beforehand such as "Borrow more of his mysticism, and the gods will hang themselves," he was still struck by the harshness in his words. After a long silence, he whispered:

How many people know about this?

Li Jiangliang looked away, no longer meeting his gaze, and said softly:
"Junior doesn't know!"