Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1250 Seeking Progress
Li Wushao didn't ask any further questions. Although he was just a minor demon at the time, he could still see that Kong Heng was extraordinary. However, he felt uneasy if he didn't ask, so he nodded, took his leave, and left.

Once the old demon had gone far away, Li Ximing reached into his sleeve, took out the jade box, snapped it with a flick of his finger, and, gazing at the spiritual flame inside, picked it up with two fingers.

The moment the object touched his palm, its iridescent colors flickered, and it was completely refined in an instant!
'[Dangmu Muhuo]...'

The fire then transformed into a point of blue light, falling into his giant sword. Instantly, a warm sensation rushed to his nose, as if he were holding some kind of elixir in his mouth, constantly conditioning his body. His originally weak aura was immediately nourished, and even his supernatural powers and magic strength became vigorous!

'Good baby.'

This did make him somewhat regretful:

'If this fire had been sent earlier, my healing would have been much easier... Unfortunately, even for that old master, obtaining something like this from Jin Yi would have required considerable effort...'

So he sat quietly to the side. The colors on the horizon brightened only once before a streak of fire rushed in and landed in the mountains. When Ji An saw that it was him personally there, he understood that the Li family would no longer delay him. His old face was full of smiles, and he said:

"Fellow Daoist Zhaojing...it's truly a rare treat to see you!"

Li Ximing had promised the other party long ago, but then delayed again and again. This was a significant event in someone else's life, and he had already given them ample benefits; it was truly inappropriate. Feeling a pang of guilt, he bowed and said:
"The battle was truly full of ups and downs... Zhaojing is deeply ashamed!"

"Serious words!"

Ji An quickly returned the greeting and said:
"It was all out of necessity..."

Ji'an was well aware of the Li family's predicament. In fact, this old master had already collected enough spiritual resources. To put it bluntly, Ji'an had only postponed the event for a few years because he had learned that there would be a major battle between Shu and Wei in the desert. He was afraid that the Li family might delay the start of the alchemy process until they attacked Western Shu, forcing Ji'an to wade into this mess in order to protect his elixirs!
It was precisely because of this skeptical suspicion that Ji An deliberately delayed until this moment. Faced with the Li family's various demands, he showed no temper whatsoever. After everything was completed, he sat eagerly in front of Li Ximing and smiled:

"Are you satisfied with this fire?"

"nature!"

Li Ximing nodded repeatedly and sighed, while Ji An smiled and said:
“I’ve seen another one of these before. It came out of a grotto-heaven back then. I remember… that Master Junjian was your friend? He took a liking to this spiritual fire at first sight and injured several other masters in the process, determined to take it away at all costs!”

"Senior Dragon Slayer..."

Li Ximing nodded thoughtfully and said:

"Indeed... he's also a 'Peony Flame' cultivator! How could he not be tempted by such a Peony Flame..."

To put it bluntly, Ji An had come to ask for a favor. Sitting on the mountain, he naturally hoped for a warm atmosphere so he wouldn't appear too obsequious. Seeing that Ji An was indeed very close to Tu Longjian, he smiled and said:

"Indeed! He is also a prodigy of his generation. 'Male Fire' and 'Female Water' are opposites, and his supernatural powers are formidable, capable of burning away the Heart Flame and incinerating life. I wonder if he has surpassed the Purple Realm yet..."

A genuine or feigned emotion flickered in the old man's eyes:
“There aren’t many cultivators with the Peony Fire Cultivator, but they are all very capable. They are born with the Dao of alchemy, able to cure diseases and eliminate plagues, and also burn and kill souls. If it weren’t for his unpredictable whereabouts, I don’t know if he could alchemy. I also wanted to go and ask him for help.”

Li Ximing's understanding of "male fire" is mostly limited to what he reads on paper. He knows that this lineage is mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining with "female water." He has only recently met someone from the Ni family, Master Hongyan.

'His name is 'Gao Ling Fu,' which doesn't necessarily mean he's anything special.'

Having finally obtained some information about the Dragon-Slaying Sword, he was still quite interested and said:
"How has Senior Dragon Slayer been these past few years? Any news?"

Ji An chuckled, observed his expression, and seeing that he didn't seem to be faking it, he hesitated before saying:

"He... is naturally powerful, and his background is very strong. When he came to Beihai to travel years ago, many rogue cultivators tried to curry favor with him, but unfortunately, they couldn't get a meeting with him. He also had a Daoist partner..."

"Taoist companion?"

Li Ximing's eyes lit up, and he said:
"Who is this person from?"

Ji An sighed:

"I'm in the North Sea, so I'm somewhat familiar with him. He's a cultivator from the [Northern Universe Sect], and his surname is... Xie."

"Thank you? Which thank you?"

"Beihai, who else could it be but Xie?"

Li Ximing now understood just how powerful the so-called "strong background" really was, and sighed:

"That's good! I've often heard of the Wang and Xie families, but being in the south, I don't have a deep understanding of their power. The only family I know of nearby is the Zhang family... yet I already know how powerful they are. I imagine these two families are even more extraordinary..."

Ji An's gaze was slightly complicated as he replied:
“Wang Xie… is indeed a true master, but you’ve misunderstood. Such masters actually value the struggle for the Dao more. Sometimes… a surname is just a label.”

This seemed to touch upon some memories, causing him to lower his head and fall silent. Li Ximing then praised:
"I've met members of the Wang family before. They are descendants of Xiao Jin, possessing the demeanor of immortals. I wonder which lineage they belong to..."

He was naturally referring to Wang Xun, the young sword immortal who had left his family with an important asset for their rise – the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Root Wanling Flower. Although he took a bit of sword intent with him, looking back now, the Li family realized how kind he had been to Wang Xun. Li Ximing had just learned about the relationship between Jin Yi and Xiaoyao from Li Quewan, and after mentioning it briefly, he began to probe the person in front of him.

"Wow, that's the Carefree Gold..."

Ji An shook his head and said with a complicated expression:
"The so-called Wang and Xie families had talented people even in ancient times. However, there were many others who were on par with them at the time, such as the Dan and Han families who were associated with Xi Sijie and Lin, Jiang Huan who was associated with Shen Zhaotianxia, ​​and the Lou and Wei families who were associated with Er Yinzhi. Most of them declined in history..."

"These two are the most famous. Are there any that can be compared to these two? Yes. But if you're talking about those that can surpass them, you really can't count them on your fingers."

"Of course...we have to exclude the one on the mountain."

Li Ximing lowered his gaze, listening to the old man sigh:

"Xue".

This wasn't a good topic. The two exchanged a glance and immediately looked away. The old man continued as if nothing had happened:

"The owners of these surnames are all direct disciples of the Three Mysteries, so noble that there is no reason for them to compare themselves. However, those destined to decline will still decline. The reason why the Wang and Xie families have been able to survive to this day is because their owners are masters of the Fruit Realm, so high that they not only passed away but also had disciples all over the world. They also paid attention to their bloodlines... This is how they have been able to maintain their lineage like a protective charm until today."

He paused slightly, as if recalling something, and said:
"Of course, we also need the contributions of several great figures who attained enlightenment at crucial moments."

Li Ximing listened with a sigh, and hesitated before saying:
"May I ask... which of the Three Mysteries do the Wang and Xie families belong to?"

Ji An sighed softly and said:
"Wang is a descendant of the Tongxuan noble family, and Xie is a great master of Douxuan."

'Kabuto Xuan! '

In fact, according to Li Ximing's opinion, the Tongxuan sect is the most prominent sect nowadays, and it has also gradually reached the position of the victor. It is said that these two sects are all from Tongxuan, plus the Xue family which is currently at its peak. All three sects are from Tongxuan, which is worthy of Tianxia's great ability to suppress the world... But he never expected that the Xie family was actually from Douxuan!
'That's not surprising... Although this family is famous, they stay in Beihai year-round and haven't set foot in the mainland with a single inch of their territory. There must be a reason for that.'

He pondered deeply, while Ji An observed his expression closely. Li Ximing thought for a long time, nodded silently, and said softly:
"Been taught a lesson."

A smile appeared on his face:
"Are you ready with the spiritual resources and materials, senior?"

"nature!"

Ji An had been eagerly waiting for him to say those words! He nodded excitedly and said:
"These past few days I've been traveling far and wide, exchanging [White Leaf of No Hearing] and [Crimson Phoenix Feather] with Zhu Luo, and obtaining [Upper Li Treasure Elixir] and [Red Heart Two-Leaf Flower] from Chun Yi. Then I went all the way to the North Sea to beg Luan Lei and borrow a [White Heart Oath Fruit], which I just got back!"

With a flick of his sleeve, he revealed a table filled with stone and jade boxes of all sizes, some with golden leaves, others with radiant flower stamens—none of them were ordinary objects! The various spiritual energies of the Fiery Blaze intertwined, causing the entire mountain to faintly glow with the light of the Fiery Blaze.

This was the culmination of a mid-stage Purple Mansion cultivator's supernatural powers, accumulated over a lifetime by visiting two grotto-heavens. The mere presence of it in these mountains instantly caused Li Ximing to hold his breath and exclaim:

"Fellow Daoist, you've really gone all out!"

Ji An's gaze was resolute as he quietly said:
"If this body can reach the highest level, death is not a pity!"

……

Zhi Xuanxie.

The sky was dark and quiet on the high platform. The moonlight, as white as snow, shone on the chessboard where black and white pieces were intertwined. A fair hand held a black piece, hesitant to make a move.

At the other end of the chessboard, a young man sat upright, his eyes shining brightly, yet he seemed somewhat distracted, staring blankly at the board. After a long while, the young man placed a black piece and said softly:

"Jiexing, it's your turn."

"Oh oh."

Tao Jiexing picked up a chess piece, stared blankly at the chessboard, pondered for a long time, and then smiled bitterly:
"Uncle-Master Wei, I've lost."

The man in front of him was still holding a black chess piece from the box, staring intently at the black and white chessboard, seemingly not hearing his words. Tao Jiexing paused, then whispered:
"Uncle-Master, I've lost!"

These five words jolted Wei Xuan awake. As if waking from a dream, he raised his head, re-examined the chessboard before him, and said:

"it is good."

A deep silence fell over the Xuan Pavilion. Tao Jiexing was quite familiar with the master before him, but had never seen Wei Xuan so lost in thought. He was a pure-hearted man who had spent years cultivating the Tao in the mountains. Somewhat bewildered, he sat there, muttering to himself:

"Uncle-Master Wei... that kind of energy, my clan really has none left!"

Wei Xuan raised an eyebrow, smiled faintly, and said:
"Jie Xing has misunderstood."

He said quietly:
"It's just that we haven't seen each other for a long time, so we had the opportunity to catch up."

When Guangchan died, Tao Jiexing angrily berated Qi Lanyan. But when news of the great battle on Xianhu returned, his anger vanished in astonishment. After much deliberation, all that remained was a mess. Now, upon arriving at Zhixuan Pavilion, he found himself unable to sit still.

He was a clever man, but inexperienced in the ways of the world. Now, sitting here, he lowered his gaze and said softly:

“I…I never imagined Lan Yan would be so resolute…If I had known this would happen, if I had known that it would be the last time we saw each other, Jie Xing…”

Wei Xuan shook his head in silence and sighed:
"Before my master passed away, he gave me some instructions. First, he entrusted me with my wish to observe the transformation for a thousand years and regulate the Jueyin meridian. Second, he entrusted me with the Tao family."

Tao Jiexing looked up, staring at him blankly. Wei Xuanyin said quietly:

"I am about to go into seclusion. Once I do, I will no longer be able to handle matters concerning the Great Zhao. Your Tao clan is close to Luoyang, and the conflict between you will eventually affect you. I will not feel at ease until I leave you a few words."

Tao Jie said in a hoarse voice:

"Please speak, Uncle-Master!"

Wei Xuan said softly:

“Jiang Yan is a formidable figure. With him in Luoyang, even the King of Wei will have a headache. Your Tao family has been practicing the Dao for many years. As long as you don’t interfere rashly, neither side will make things difficult for you.”

He paused and continued:

“I know you look down on Zong Chang, but she is actually quite capable. If she makes any requests or conveys any messages, listen carefully... it could save your clan from annihilation.”

Tao Jiexing was speechless for a moment, then lowered her head and said with a trembling expression:

"How could it have come to this!"

A hint of sadness flashed across Wei Xuan's face:
"Because I went into seclusion."

Tao Jiexing instantly understood, the sorrow on her face gradually faded, and she whispered:

Jie Xing understands.

Wei Xuan smiled slightly, stood up, his gaze falling on the intricate chessboard, and said softly:

“Jiexing, before your great-grandfather passed away, he wept at his sickbed. I had heard Master tell me about the secret of ‘not wearing purple clothes’ and those words long ago. I’m sure you’ve heard them too. Perhaps not many people in the world know what I’m doing, but you, Tao Jiexing, must know.”

These words made Tao Jiexing lower her head deeply, unsure how to respond. The person in front of her had already turned around, taken a step, and quietly said:

“You are probably most aware of my situation—I have called you here today because the Tao family is a prominent clan that has cultivated the Three Yin for generations.”

He murmured:

"I thought I would have my own time to become a great master and properly take on and teach disciples, but now it seems that it will be difficult to achieve that. Although Bai Yue is highly talented, she does not have that kind of lofty ambition."

The owner of Zhixuan Pavilion lowered his head and said:

"Whether we succeed or fail this time, it will be difficult for me to see you, and I will also have little say in the matter. If I perish, please help me with my Guan Hua for the sake of the old man... If Bai Yue cannot be saved... then forget it. Please find a successor so that my Guan Hua lineage will not be cut off."

Tao Jiexing's eyes welled up with tears, and she choked out:
"This junior understands! This junior... wishes my martial uncle success!"

Wei Xuan waved his hand, signaling him to step back. The young man bowed repeatedly before finally disappearing into the void with reluctance.

In an instant, the celestial pavilion fell silent, with only the soft moonlight shining on the steps. Wei Xuan took a few steps and walked to the large cauldron in the center of the courtyard.

The light and shadow in the [Zhao Yao Four Seasons Cauldron] were like clear water, yet they faintly reflected a jade bottle, and Wei Xuan's gaze gradually changed.

'The problem must lie here: 'Not wearing purple robes' aligns with Taiyin, just as 'Wu Lou Que Yin' points to 'Yin Run Yi Qi'.'

'The Yin-Yang Qi of the Yuan Dynasty.'

Wei Xuan's gaze grew increasingly resolute.

"You couldn't possibly be unaware... Even if not a single person in the North or South possesses a Purple Mansion level of understanding this crucial point, you must be perfectly clear about it, yet you just stood by and watched."

'Why.'

But there was no turning back. He knew this was his last chance. If the Yin Run Yi Qi from the Yuan Mansion, after being refined by Qing Yi Yuan Xin Yi, was not enough to match the aura of "Not Purple Robe," then there would be no other way in the entire world!
'If this supernatural power is not achieved, the Dao of "Jueyin"... will be extinct!'