Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1239 Pregnancy and Nurturing
The two immortals waited silently outside. The light inside the hall was already extremely thick. The silver and red colors gradually separated in the hall. One wave was like cinnabar falling, and another wave was like mercury boiling. All the water on the ground boiled together.

Li Quewan stood suspended in mid-air, the Imperial Edict Spirit Treasure in his hand shining brightly. The [Taiyin Spirit Essence] that had been nurtured within it was gradually being summoned. Like the red light in the sky receding from the dark clouds, a point of clear moonlight pierced through and sprinkled onto Li Wushao's face.

Drawn by the power of the Taiyin, the Fushui River burst forth with countless mysteries. Li Wushao's entire body began to boil, and he finally lost his original form. His face was pulled forward, and he transformed into a fierce, dark-skinned hooked snake in the rolling Fushui River!

This old demon had benefited greatly from the rise of the Li family. From the initial allocation of his destiny to the years of resources he enjoyed in the Qingchi Sect, every inch of his bones and blood was filled with spiritual energy. In this vast mansion water, it suddenly changed, from top to bottom, turning into a torrent of dark spiritual water.

Li Quewan's expression was extremely solemn. He pushed all his supernatural powers to the limit and channeled all his lifelong witchcraft skills into action. He held up the spiritual treasure in his hand and suddenly sensed it!

This caused great distress to the True Man Chengqian, who was maintaining the Mysterious Pool. He felt that his magical power was insufficient to meet the demand, and his expression changed drastically. He could only grit his teeth and supply it with all his might. This moment felt like an eternity to him. In the end, he could not hold on any longer and coughed up a mouthful of magical blood.

Before the blood of the Dharma even touched the ground, all the light in the sky vanished as if in a dream. The once infinitely bright hall suddenly went dark, and the Dharma lamps and various decorations on both sides had long been completely eroded by the supernatural power, leaving only pitch-black darkness.

"Crench!"

Just as the woman at the head of the table had settled down, the tightly closed door suddenly opened, letting in the light from outside and revealing the wreckage scattered all over the ground and the shallow pool of water covering the surface. Li Jiangqian quickly walked up to the head of the table, but before he could even ask a question, the woman had already opened her hand, revealing a silver and red spiritual treasure.

A fine pattern has appeared on this magical artifact, resembling a black dragon, its claws outstretched, coiling around the thumb-sized artifact, rising and falling amidst clouds of silver and mercury, displaying extraordinary mystique.

Li Quewan simply smiled and nodded.

Li Jiangqian had already prepared for the worst, but now his eyes lit up and a look of joy finally appeared on his face. Li Ximing, who followed in behind, breathed a sigh of relief and quickly helped Chengqian up, thanking him:

"Thanks to Chengqian's help!"

These words also drew Li Quewan's attention, whose gaze held a deep sense of agreement.

This is no exaggeration. In Li Quewan's view, Li Wushao was able to get through this calamity safely for two reasons. First, the Taiyin Spirit Essence was extremely precious, making up for most of the losses from the early condensation. Second, it was Chengqian. Without the help of this cultivator in the early stage of the Purple Mansion realm, who was also a "Complete Core" cultivator, it would have been several times more troublesome.

This master even spat out a mouthful of magical blood to lend a helping hand, so he naturally deserves considerable credit. However, upon hearing Li Ximing's words, Cheng Qian simply shook his head and hurriedly said:
"You flatter me, senior!"

His supernatural powers hadn't yet been fully restored, and his face showed anxiety and bitterness. Before the Li family members could say anything, he coughed twice and hurriedly said:

"This is my duty, no need to say more, but..."

"I originally intended to handle my master's funeral arrangements, but I never expected to stay for more than half a year, wasting so much time... The other side of the mountain pass can't do without me... Please allow me to go to the East Sea!"

When Cheng Qian arrived, he clearly hadn't expected it to take so long. His anxiety was palpable. Li Ximing couldn't say much more, so he took out a pill from his pocket, handed it to him, and then watched him leave.

After the man left, Li Jiangqian turned around and whispered:
"how?"

Li Quewan simply shook her head, sensed for a moment, then raised her slender hand, extended her index finger, gently bit it, and smeared her blood on her red lips. Only then could one hear a low cough coming from her throat. After a dozen or so breaths, she said in a hoarse voice:

"The witchcraft was hit by the 'Xuan Tu' supernatural power, which originally had a great backlash. It was forbidden to cast spells for a year and to speak for two years—not even to use supernatural power to transmit sound. Fortunately, the 'Hui Fu' had some blessing, and after more than half a year, most of it has been resolved."

"As for Senior Wushao."

Although her voice was hoarse, her original gentle tone was still discernible as she whispered:
"Thanks to my and Fellow Daoist Chengqian's emergency efforts to condense the essence ahead of schedule and with the help of the harmony between Taiyin and Fushui, things have improved considerably. However, the remaining nurturing time may change."

"That's okay."

Li Jiangqian nodded repeatedly, pacing a few steps in the main hall, while Li Ximing said worriedly:

"The important thing is that we've finally gotten through this ordeal. How are your injuries? They've dragged on for more than half a year; I'm afraid you're not doing well!"

When this matter was brought up, Li Quewan smiled and said:
"Thank you for your concern, Grand Uncle. In the end, I was only hit by one palm from Qingji Fang. It's just that his three supernatural powers and his magic are superb. My 'Hou Shenshu' has no protective magic, so it is especially serious."

"But I possess the [Mysterious Jade Edict Pill]!"

She smiled and said:
"Although this treasure wasn't on my person during the battle, I've been holding it constantly for the past six months, and its top-tier [Profound Subjugation] magic is running every single day!"

"【Mysterious Coffin Crimson Water】is originally the water in the lake that nourishes the soil and trees. It has the wonder of transformation and the virtue of nurturing. Through the continuous nourishment of the 【Mysterious Ingestion】, it is equivalent to consuming a portion of this water to refine a pill. In the past half year, my injuries have not been dragging on day by day, but have been improving little by little!"

So he raised his wrist and saw that the texture on his arm, which had been like shattered glass, had improved a lot. The surface was smooth as new, but there was a faint trace of damage under the fair skin.

Li Ximing had never expected this, and his heart stirred with excitement. He nodded repeatedly, a look of joy on his face, and said:
"It truly is a spiritual treasure... This one wondrous skill alone is enough to inspire immense envy!"

After Li Quewan finished speaking, her voice became clear and bright. She took out the jade bottle again, returned the Horned Wood Pill, and said with pursed lips:
"I no longer need it, Grand Uncle should take good care of himself!"

Li Ximing knew he was in a really bad state, shook his head, and first looked at Li Jiangqian, saying:

"Jiang Qian... any news about the [Traveling Emperor's Curse]?"

A golden light flashed in Li Jiangqian's eyes as he gained insight, secretly delighted, and solemnly said:

"I have always kept this matter in mind. When I received the news, I immediately sent people to Chengshuize. Thanks to Senior Zhong's connections, we were not hindered in any way!"

He abruptly changed his tone, his voice lowering, and said:
"According to those who returned, there was indeed a response on the water, and the energy could be extracted... Perhaps because the tomb was excavated and damaged a long time ago, the process is very slow. Although the Qi-gathering manual says it takes five years, it will actually take even longer... It looks like it will take at least nine to ten years."

"ten years!"

This is no small matter. If it were an ordinary Purple Mansion, they could afford to wait, but Li Zhouwei's cultivation speed is extremely fast; ten years would probably be enough for him to advance his Immortal Foundation twice! One success is manageable, but if it fails, the time will increase exponentially. Li Ximing immediately frowned, but fortunately, Li Jiangqian quickly said:

“If that’s the case, there will definitely be no time to cooperate with Father’s cultivation. So I went to inquire in private and learned from Tinglan Zhenren of Ziyan Sect that there are three royal tombs in Jiangnan.”

Li Jiangqian said solemnly:

"One site is in Western Shu, the former tomb of the Wu King of the Xiao family. We sent people to check it out, but not only was it tiny and cramped, it had also been looted, and we couldn't find anything there..."

"And another place... is the former tomb of the Yue Kingdom emperors, located below Jianmen Pass."

But the young man in front of him was clearly dissatisfied and said:

"I pretended to send people to buy spiritual items, but actually tested the waters. Although they were better than those of the King of Wu, they didn't have much of a grand scale. There's one last place, in Yishan City."

Li Ximing was slightly taken aback. The young man said:
"Emperor Chu!"

He seemed quite interested; having gathered intelligence over the years, he was already familiar with these matters, and he explained in detail:

"Yishan City stands on a desolate mountain called Lingqiu. It was originally the site of the imperial tombs of the Chu people. The Chu people often offered sacrifices here. Apart from the capital, this place was the most important. At that time, the land was filled with red gold, and the mountain contained the essence of Xuanli. Later, when the Great Chu was about to perish, the Southern Fire Heavenly Palace mined it all, moved the coffins, and put them all into the cave heaven."

"But this hill that remains is far better than the marshland!"

Although both Ning and Chu were emperors, Ning, at its peak, was not even half the size of Chu. Moreover, Chu had a long line of successive emperors, producing more than one True Lord. In contrast, Ning's only truly significant emperor was its founding ruler, Tianwu.

Li Jiangqian said solemnly:

"Yishan City is the Ning family's trump card, and we have elders in high positions there who will handle everything for us. As long as nothing unexpected happens, we will surely succeed within the next two years."

Li Ximing knew he had a way. If it were someone else, they probably wouldn't be able to handle it so quickly, and he might even have to ask them for help. He was very relieved. That's why he took the pill from Li Quewan's hand, put two fingers together to form a sword finger, placed them in front of his lips, and pinched out a small golden flame.

The [Three-Tier Guardian Mystic Fire], a golden-red flame, rested affectionately on his fingertip. Most spiritual fires possess sentience, and Li Ximing had possessed this fire for decades, weathering countless storms along the way. It was a great contributor, and naturally, he couldn't say he felt no attachment. Feeling down, he used his other hand to retrieve the small bowl from Jiuqiu's past, resealing it exactly as it was, and said:
"Now that you've all settled in, I'll take this pill and go into seclusion. Your sister can't go to the Sun and Moon Shining Together Heaven and Earth. If you've recovered, just take her to your father."

Li Quewan's spiritual treasure is now being nurtured within her supernatural powers. Although she can already use all sorts of wondrous things, Li Wushao has not yet fully integrated with the spiritual treasure. It is inconvenient for her to bring it into the world of the sun and moon shining together, and she cannot leave it behind. Therefore, she cannot set foot in it.

"Yes!"

The two answered together, and Li Ximing then vanished in a flash of light.

Li Quewan was perceptive; although Li Ximing left decisively, she could sense his reluctance. Holding the mysterious alms bowl, she sighed.

"This makes me feel uneasy!"

Li Jiangqian also took this matter to heart, and said solemnly:
"Now that Grand Uncle has lost this True Fire, he's not as good at alchemy. We should take advantage of this time to gather spiritual items and find a way to get him a flame that's good at alchemy!"

His original plan was to use his [Vast Desolate Flame] to transform the spiritual fire, but this victory unexpectedly changed his mind, and he said in a deep voice:

"I thought this fire was nothing special, but I never expected that its effect of neutralizing the Xuan soil would be quite remarkable. Qingji has suffered a defeat and will surely try to take over my lake again. Preserving this fire will be very useful at critical moments."

"In that case, I really don't have many extra spirit fires to convert, only my great-uncle's [Red Pheasant Soaring Flame]... If I were to convert it, it would be another expense!"

Li Que nodded thoughtfully, about to speak, when suddenly a streak of light flew over, shaking the void, its voice ancient and weathered:
"Is Fellow Daoist Zhaojing here? Ji'an will come in response!"

Upon hearing this, Li Quewan's expression changed, and he exchanged a glance with his brother, their expressions suddenly becoming clear:

"Oh, right! There's also this!"

This Ji An was none other than Chunyi Dao's good friend, the old master who had made an agreement with the Li family years ago for a "Great Separation Book." His family had promised to refine pills for him, but unfortunately, this happened just as Li Ximing was seriously injured and his true fire was being transferred out...

Li Jiangqian's expression turned slightly somber.

Back then, this old master traveled a long way to seek his help, and this elixir was of great importance. Although he was very polite and gave him plenty of face, now that Li Ximing has been in seclusion for several years to heal his injuries, it seems that he will have wasted his time.

Seeing the slightly worried look in Li Quewan's eyes, Li Jiangqian composed himself, a hint of a smile in his eyes, and said:

"It's not a bad thing... Whether this matter is good or bad can be decided in just a few words! Leave it to me, you can focus on healing."

So he rode out on fire, revealing himself on the shimmering lake. Sure enough, the red-robed immortal stood before the formation, a smile plastered on his wrinkled face, and said:

"Young friend Changli, it's been a long time! I heard that you, sir, severely injured Qingji Fang and forced him to return. You are truly formidable."

Li Jiangqian looked sorrowful and sighed:

"Senior, you flatter me... Returning severely injured is just hearsay; I can't bear the weight of such a claim..."

Ji An pondered for a moment, a sense of foreboding creeping over him. He and Li Jiang moved to Zhijing Mountain. The young master poured tea for them, and Ji An hesitated, saying:
"I had previously made an agreement with the nobleman that I would come to the lake to find him once I had obtained all the spiritual items, but I do not know Zhaojing..."

Li Jiangqian lowered his head and sighed softly:
"Grand Uncle was injured by Qingji!"

Ji An had somewhat anticipated this, but upon hearing the news, his expression immediately became troubled. He didn't say much, but instead politely said:

"How badly are you injured?"

Li Jiangqian said quietly:
"Quite heavy."

Upon hearing this, Ji An's face darkened. Before the old man could speak, Li Jiangqian said solemnly:

"My great-uncle has always remembered what happened to our senior. He took one of his most treasured Horned Wood Elixir long ago and went into seclusion!"

Ji An's emotions calmed down a bit, but Li Jiangqian's brows darkened, and he said:
"Your arrival is very timely. Even if you hadn't come, I would still have gone to Chunyi Dao to find you."

"Ok?"

Ji An's gaze darkened, and the young man before him said in a sinister tone:

“A few days ago, people came from the desert and took away the true fire that my great-uncle was best at refining pills. He was like a tiger with its teeth pulled out. He had a lot of alchemy skills, but he could not use much of them.”

"what?!"

Ji An hadn't expected such a strange thing to happen, and was momentarily speechless, squinting as he said:
"Tianque?"

"Exactly!"

Li Jiangqian sighed deeply, his expression somber. Ji An pondered for a long time, picked up the tea, but hesitated before putting it back on the table, saying:
"Changli means..."

Li Jiangqian looked wary and said:
"I wonder what the relationship is between the old master and the Jin Yi Dao lineage?"