Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1188 Divine Power in the Corpse
'Two figures at the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm... should be treated the same way!'

Li Quewan sighed slightly, glanced at the terrain, and stretched out her slender hand to do some calculations:
'The sky is filled with the winds that wound fallen trees, and the earth is rife with deadly evil spirits. These forces are already in a state of mutual restraint and balance, affecting several realms. If there is no other interference, the turmoil will continue for three hundred years, and the earthly evil spirits will not be eradicated for five hundred years.'

Qi Lanyan's supernatural powers were even greater, but Xunfeng was only one of the things that transformed after his fall. Moreover, it was high in the sky and easily disturbed by other things, so it declined earlier. On the contrary, the evil energy was nurtured in the ground and was more difficult to exhaust.

'This place is excellent in every way… except that the earth's evil influences are strong while the veins are shallow, and there are no mountains, making it easy to attack but difficult to defend. If we cannot take Baihai as a shield, we will inevitably be at the mercy of others. I just wonder… which lineage will benefit from such a rich and precious land in the future?'

She withdrew her gaze and continued forward, crossing the surging river. The familiar lake slowly came into view, bringing tears to her eyes, which were filled with excitement.
'Haven't been back for decades!'

Li Quewan rode the wind all the way into the lake. On the shimmering lake surface, she could vaguely see the figures of her own cultivators gathering qi. Everything felt familiar yet strange, making her heart pound. However, she dared not show herself and instead descended onto the fairy mountain full of gardenias.

The Taoist priest in the white-gold robe had just finished refining his spiritual resources. He was holding the jade slip in thought when he suddenly realized that the great formation had been activated. He immediately frowned and looked towards the mountains, but there were only gardenias drifting like white snow on the path, nothing else.

This startled Li Ximing. He quickly joined his two fingers together, and the light of the six directions shone out. A clear light, like white snow, emerged first, then melted away, revealing a woman.

The young woman was dressed in plain clothes, with a gentle smile, her eyebrows spread wide, her eyes brimming with tears, and a red dot on her forehead. Yet, her aura was ever-changing, shifting like sand and turning into mercury, displaying dazzling supernatural powers.

Li Ximing's heart surged with warmth, almost overturning the alchemy furnace. His usually calm and composed face lit up with deep surprise. Seeing her tearful eyes, he smiled and sighed, saying:
"So it's my family's 'Complete Elixir' supernatural power that's here!"

Li Quewan pursed her lips and nodded, speaking softly:
"I have lived up to your kindness... I only regret that my breakthrough was too slow and I was unable to give my all in the great battle!"

Before Li Quewan returned, Li Ximing was preoccupied with both the "Hengzhu" spiritual treasure and the "Chuyin" immortal technique, his mind filled with various thoughts. But seeing this young woman standing gracefully before him, her supernatural powers manifesting, all his worries vanished, leaving him only with a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion or reflection). He gathered his sleeves and said:

"Your ability to achieve supernatural powers and return safely puts my mind at ease... It's more effective than any magical treasures or immortal techniques!"

The woman nodded vigorously, the redness in her eyes quickly fading, and said:
"King Wei..."

Li Ximing knew that it was Guo Nanwu who brought the message. After a moment's consideration, he said:
"It's alright for now!"

These words greatly eased Li Quewan's anxiety. She gently lowered her waist, while Li Ximing extended two fingers and lit the [Three-Holding Guardian Mystic Fire] into the furnace. They hurriedly headed towards the island together. Li Quewan sighed:
“We come from the sea, and the salt lake has been transformed into a vast plain. It is truly a masterpiece of nature and can serve as the foundation of our sect.”

Li Ximing, who never leaves his house, had not yet heard of this matter. He sighed with slight emotion:
"During his lifetime, Changxi was particularly troubled by the poverty of the mountain gate and Xianhu. He spent all his time moving mountains and ridges, putting in countless efforts, but still could not reach the grand hall. It's a pity... pitiful. The foundation of the immortal sect that he cherished was established when Xuanyue was destroyed!"

Although Li Quewan was unaware of this matter, he had seen everything clearly along the way. He remained silent and entered the dark hall. Li Ximing smiled and said:

"Come, I'll teach you the spell."

So she made a hand seal, connecting with heaven and earth. Li Quewan operated the spell with great respect. Suddenly, her eyes were bright. She felt an extremely rich and balanced spiritual energy rushing towards her, making her hair flutter slightly and her eyes brighten.

The sun and moon shine together over heaven and earth!

As a fully-fledged cultivator, Li Quewan was particularly sensitive to spiritual energy. During his cultivation, he often had to maintain the balance of Yin and Yang, and his familiarity with this even surpassed that of the True Immortals. He was immediately stunned by this mysterious sensation.

"Yin and Yang in balance..."

Li Ximing turned to look and noticed that Li Quewan was excited, her face even flushed slightly, and she was making hand seals and muttering:
"This is... an absolute balance of Yin and Yang..."

Li Ximing looked slightly suspicious, and seeing Li Quewan, he said urgently:
“My practice of ‘Complete Elixir’ is nothing more than regulating Yin and Yang, lead and mercury, water and fire, and male and female. I have also learned about the balance of Yin and Yang. Often, when ‘Complete Elixir’ practitioners use various secret techniques or even certain types of cultivation, they must start by adjusting Yin and Yang. Only by first balancing Yin and Yang can they grasp the amount of increasing Yin and decreasing Yang, increasing water and decreasing fire, etc., so as to create a certain environment and achieve various changes.”

"It can be said that the first step in the transformation of the entire elixir, more than 70% of which involves the adjustment of Yin and Yang!"

"No matter how we adjust it, it's impossible to achieve the mythical absolute balance of Yin and Yang found in this grotto!"

She knew that yin and yang were balanced in the grotto-heaven, but she never imagined it was such an absolute equality that only existed in imagination. She made hand seals several times, then released them in disbelief, and whispered:
"In other words... within the grotto-heaven, one can manipulate and cast spells simply by drawing upon a breath of spiritual energy, bypassing the first step of material transformation in the outside world, and achieving a level of precision countless times greater than meticulously manipulated spells..."

Li Ximing, being oblivious to change, was completely confused, but he felt it was a good thing and felt even more confident:

'In this way, the [Yin-Exorcising Method] becomes even more useful!'

So he nodded with a smile and led Li Quewan, who was still immersed in the shock, down to the bottom of the pavilion—where the King of Wei was sitting cross-legged, quietly cultivating.

Li Quewan's gaze swept over his numerous wounds, and with a hint of heartache, she lowered her head and bowed respectfully:

"Junior Que Wan has mastered the divine power 'Hou Shen Shu'!"

The man sitting cross-legged on the jade platform had already opened his eyes, his dark pupils fixed on Li Quewan. A smile played on his lips, though it made his dark wounds appear ferocious, yet it also carried a strange warmth.

"How powerful are your supernatural abilities?"

Li Quewan said respectfully:

"The 'Waiting for Divine Exception' method takes the complete elixir of life and prioritizes longevity and immortality!"

"Once the supernatural power is achieved, one's life force will increase, one will live longer and be free from killing intent. As one grows and is nurtured over the years, this supernatural power will be nourished and verified on the profound mystery of the Great Dao, giving birth to a body of lead and mercury, which is called the [Divine Corpse]."

"Body supernatural powers?"

Li Ximing asked with slight doubt, but Li Quewan shook her head and said:

"No, this body of lead and mercury is nurtured within a supernatural power, and it has its own life. Although my supernatural power is not used for combat, it is still a supernatural power of extremely high quality. The [Divine Corpse] can also be of some help in combat. It has been hidden for a long time, and it is suddenly revealed for a moment through magic, with the power of divine power appearing and shaking the inside and outside."

"But its true purpose is after death."

"After death?"

Li Ximing was horrified, but the woman laughed:
"If I pass away naturally without being disturbed by others, my divine corpse will rise from my bones and continue my life as before, living for 128 years. Each time I acquire a supernatural power, I can extend my life by another 20 years. Therefore, it is called avoiding death and prolonging life!"

These words moved Li Zhouwei slightly, and he said in a hoarse voice:

"No wonder it's called the way to longevity and preservation of life. In this way, you will live at least 628 years and at most 708 years!"

This is more than two hundred years longer than a normal Zifu!
Li Quewan hesitated for a moment before nodding and continuing:
"The description of supernatural powers is natural death, but do you elders remember that I once had a technique, which was bestowed upon me by the Golden Book, called [Scattered White Feathers]? If this technique is mastered, even if someone harms you, as long as you can escape with your life or take advantage of the opponent's inattention to hide for a while, you can manifest a divine corpse and survive!"

This escape technique undoubtedly greatly expanded the uses of "Hou Shen Shu," causing the two True Immortals to nod in approval. Li Quewan then smiled and said:

"In my humble opinion, the combination of [Scattered White Feathers] and 'Waiting for Divine Power' is enough to evade 99% of cultivators in the world, even if they are no match for them. Unless they face the most outstanding figures from Luoxia or the Underworld, they can all escape with their lives!"

These words made Li Ximing nod with a smile, but the Prince of Wei looked at him with a deep gaze and did not respond. Li Quewan continued:
"Secondly, it can transform into mysterious light and forcibly seize the wonderful uses of pills and artifacts. If one takes pills, as long as they are not from a lineage that conflicts with the 'complete pill,' they can all be transformed to gain some benefits. The same applies to spiritual artifacts!"

She opened her fair palm, revealing the mysterious moon talisman about two fingers wide, and said solemnly:
"Upon hearing that the King of Wei was injured, the Nine Hills Daoist lineage specially requested the Taiyin Spiritual Treasure, which is used to suppress the Qi of the lineage, and ordered me to bring it back. Originally, we should have asked a Taiyin cultivator for help, but now that we have the 'Hou Shen Shu', we do not need the help of others!"

'Taiyin Lingbao!'

Li Ximing's gaze fell intently on the jade ring in her hand, utterly astonished. Li Zhouwei, even more moved by her extraordinary abilities, spoke with a quickening of his voice:

"The wondrous uses of the alchemy-securing artifact? By using this spiritual artifact, how much of the same lineage can one obtain?"

His words hit the nail on the head, and Li Quewan immediately became serious and said:

"Leaving aside the conflicting lineages, those that are more distant can yield at least 70%, while those that are slightly closer, such as the Yin and Yang or the Five Virtues (water, fire, metal), can start at 80%, and those that are closest, such as the Three Witches and Two Priests, can yield 90%!"

"As Hou Shenshu's supernatural powers reach perfection, all of these will increase by one-tenth, allowing him to advance to the next level of the Purple Realm. Once his supernatural powers are fully developed, he will be able to acquire all spiritual artifacts except those of opposing lineages, and they will all be as powerful as those of his own lineage!"

Li Ximing's eyes were bright and piercing.

In his early years, he had made do with spiritual artifacts from other lineages, and he understood that these non-lineage spiritual artifacts, if of slightly lower quality, were almost equivalent to a Mingyang spiritual embryo.

"Then wouldn't that mean... you can take any of those unsuitable magical artifacts from the house and use them as you please!"

Li Quewan nodded with a smile and replied:

"This also needs to exclude Yin and Yang. Although they are not far apart, they can only reach 90% at most. Among them, Taiyin and Taiyang can only reach 80% at most."

Li Ximing frowned and said:

"I just heard you say that the elixir is nothing more than yin and yang, water and fire, lead and mercury, male and female. How can yin and yang not be in harmony?"

A hint of helplessness flashed across the woman's brows as she said:
"The 'Complete Elixir' views Yin and Yang as it would the sun and moon. Although it receives their radiance and borrows their profound mysteries, it dares not claim to be close to them, nor does it dare to presumptuously hold their power!"

The sheer power and domineering presence here left Li Ximing speechless, but this did not diminish the immense might of "Hou Shen Shu." Li Ximing still couldn't help but sigh:

"The Dao of 'Complete Elixir' truly lives up to its reputation as the Great Dao of the transformation of material nature; no wonder it dares to call itself the Primordial Embryo of Pure Virtue!"

Li Quewan then changed the subject, saying:

"These two are the most wondrous. The rest, nourishing the various palaces and refining gold and mercury, are also great principles, but their application lies in the transformation of the nature of things, making them difficult to explain. Besides these, there is another wondrous principle, neither too great nor too small, used to control sparrows and tame beasts..."

When Li Quewan broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he had mentioned these wondrous things. Now, each one was manifested through supernatural powers, more astonishing than the last. Li Ximing was even more interested and asked:

"What methods did you use?"

The woman laughed and said:

"In reality, it's nothing special. It has some ability to tame demons, but it's neither here nor there. It's not good enough for Foundation Establishment cultivators, nor can it be used in the Purple Mansion realm. It can also absorb the spirit of demons. With just a flick of its finger or a word, it can strip away a bit of the spirit of a demon, and then the divine power will reflect it back to it, so that the demon's life is not harmed and its supernatural powers are not limited."

The spirit is said to be unique to demons. It is reflected at the sixth stage of life and is a hidden part of the soul. It is an incomplete life, and when one attains supernatural powers, it will be absorbed and condensed.

When a demon's spirit is deprived of its care and cannot be recovered, it loses a portion of its life force and usually cannot develop supernatural powers, unless it is like a dragon, which can spontaneously condense supernatural powers upon reaching adulthood, in which case there is no major problem.

Of course, in this day and age, no one dares to capture the spirit of a dragon's son. However, spirit beasts with abundant life force, such as the Three-Eyed Mountain Beast, the Mysterious Golden-Winged Bat, and the Sandalwood Cloud Fiery Rat, still have the ability to become supernatural beings. These monsters are called spirit beasts by ancient cultivators precisely because they have the potential to become supernatural beings and still be controlled.

Even so, the spirits of these spirit beasts can only be taken away before they break through to supernatural powers and their spirits are absorbed into their inner nature. Once their spirits are returned, a portion of their life is integrated into their supernatural powers, greatly increasing their power, and no one can separate them away.

Li Quewan's supernatural ability seems quite useful, but it's actually rather awkward. Most of the demons that can truly develop supernatural abilities are those with extraordinary origins, such as spirit beasts. Even if ordinary demons were given the possibility of developing supernatural abilities... it would most likely be a waste of resources, not to mention that time would be a major problem—demons cannot cultivate secret techniques, and once their bloodline is ordinary, they can only rely on time to gradually increase their cultivation...

'Even my family's Black-tailed Serpent Guest Elder… when his life was matched with mine, a considerable amount of lunar essence was poured into him, making his life stronger, but he still has no chance of passing the threshold of the Purple Mansion, and who knows when he will finally reach it!'

Therefore, when Li Quewan brought up this matter, he was quite disappointed, but Li Ximing found it refreshing and began to ponder it in his mind:
'It is indeed a wondrous thing, neither too big nor too small... But if my family had a massive amount of Yin spiritual resources, it wouldn't be a problem to send a few demons to break through to the Purple Mansion realm, it's just a matter of time...'

'Furthermore… the [Xuanheng Imperial Edict] seizes life and commands spirits, and is also aimed at demonic beasts. [Hengzhu] belongs to the Three Witches and Two Prayers factions; why should it not be of use?'

Upon hearing this, Li Ximing could no longer contain himself. He first took out the purple jade slip from his sleeve, handed it to Li Quewan, and solemnly said:

"This document, 'The Method of Explaining the Mysterious Manifestation and Bestowing the Power of Lin,' contains the most wondrous secrets of supreme transformation. You must read it immediately!"