Chapter 1681: When Black And White Blur (I)

"Oh..."

One sentence from Li Zhouwei left Minghui’s words lodged in his throat. He stood there speechless for quite a while before awkwardly cupping his hands in salute. "I've been presumptuous. My apologies."

He raised his brows, still feeling he had not come across as greedy enough. With a shameless grin, he added, "And... And there is also the [Soul-Tuning Mulberry Wood] that Fellow Daoist Zhaojing promised me back then. I hope he will honor that promise..."

Only then did Li Zhouwei feel like the man was finally resembling a proper monk, and he mused to himself, Well... There is also the matter concerning Daoist Master Yan in the Eastern Sea. If granduncle succeeds in attaining [Radiance Under Heaven], and now that the [Soul-Tuning Mulberry Wood] has been recovered, it is only a matter of time.

Yet seeing how wealthy the monk was, another thought occurred to him.

The north has been under the control of the Buddhist cultivators for many years. A great many Immortal Dao treasures have ended up in their hands, yet most of them are of little use to them... Just as Buddhist treasure artifacts hold little value in the south, trading with the north for spirit items could prove to be an excellent avenue.

Lotus Temple is playing both sides and harbors some dissatisfaction toward Dayang Mountain and the Pavilion Viewing faction. Whether that resentment is genuine or merely for show, their words cannot be trusted. Even so, the channel for acquiring and making use of Buddhist artifacts cannot be allowed to close.

Although he did not trust the Lotus Temple, there would only be more and more treasures from Buddhist cultivators in the future. With that in mind, he became somewhat more accommodating.

Taking the treasure from the monk's hands, he replied, "My granduncle has already sent word. You will not have to wait much longer. I'll pass your request along to him. However..."

He looked up and asked, "I wonder how many spirit materials and spirit items, the Maha, or rather, the Lotus Temple, still have available for selection."

Minghui was momentarily taken aback, then quickly nodded. "My master has always enjoyed collecting Immortal Dao treasures, so... we do have quite a few..."

After a moment's thought, Li Zhouwei said, "They must be something that can assist in breaking through in divine ability."

Minghui pondered for a long while before finally fumbling a jade box out of his sleeve. He hesitated as he said, "Have you ever heard of the [Supreme Concealed Origin]?"

Li Zhouwei nodded, then asked skeptically, "You've managed to get your hands on something like that?"

Minghui repeatedly shook his head, pressed his palms together, and explained, "It is said that Dayang Mountain itself possesses [Supreme Concealed Origin]. When it resonates with [Immortal Pure Unified Essence], the catalytic influence of a grotto heaven gives rise to a unique spiritual qi known as [Attuned Purple Intent Essence], which is beneficial to the Immortal Dao.

“While it cannot significantly increase one's cultivation, nor is it of much use in alchemy, it does offer some assistance for divine ability. My master preserved quite a bit of it back then. When I became a Maha, he gave me a portion for my cultivation and instructed me that the north and south ultimately share the same source. If I contemplated it regularly, it would surely benefit me..."

A pained expression flickered across his face as he opened the jade box. "My lord, please have a look."

As soon as Li Zhouwei opened the jade box, he saw layer upon layer of purple intent sealed within by mana. As his spiritual sense brushed over it, he immediately felt his divine ability stirring restlessly.

His golden eyes flickered as he asked, "This is... [Purple Essence]?"

Minghui smiled. "Exactly! [Purple Essence] shares the same nature as the [Heavenly Cultivation Purple Qi Immortal Essence]. It is intimately tied to the Immortal Dao and perfectly matches your requirements, fellow Daoist!"

Li Zhouwei examined it for a while before nodding. "Not bad."

Minghui smiled and nodded. "I don't possess my master's talent. No matter how much I study it, it always ends up being a futile effort. I'd rather trade it with you for some useful spirit material and refine them together with these treasures into a fine artifact. Many of your mystics are wasted on me anyway. I'd much prefer something more straightforward. Something indestructible or capable of traversing the great void. Abilities like those are guaranteed to be useful!"

Li Zhouwei gave it a moment's thought before asking, "Would you have any use for a Crane-Embracing Stone? It can be incorporated into a dharma artifact, granting it the ability to traverse space. It belongs to the [True Essence] Dao and is compatible with all Daos."

Minghui had never even heard of Crane-Embracing Stone. Still, the moment he heard it possessed the power to traverse space, he secretly rejoiced, thinking the trade would hardly be a waste. Outwardly, however, he put on a look of sudden realization and smiled. "That is exactly what I need!"

Li Zhouwei nodded in agreement.

Unfortunately, the Crane-Embracing Stone was still in Li Ximing's possession, and could not be retrieved immediately. They agreed to have someone deliver it later. As Li Zhouwei brushed a hand over his sleeve, he sighed inwardly.

Aside from the Radiant Fire spirit material, I've nearly exhausted everything I obtained from the grotto heaven. Even of what I acquired from Changxiao Mountain, only the [Silken Heart Ice] is still worth mentioning. In the end, it's simply not enough!

The Dry Fire in Minghui's possession had come from the north, and had been refined by Buddhist cultivators before passing into his hands, only to be traded to Li Ximing almost immediately. It was clearly handled with little caution, and Dry Fire was not something the Li Family particularly needed... Fortunately, the family possessed the [Yang Nourishing Technique]. Although it contained very little concerning Dry Fire, they could at least experiment with it first. At the very least, they would have to erase any traces left behind by the Buddhist cultivators.

That would be child's play for granduncle.

Minghui was, after all, one of the northern Buddhist cultivators. Li Zhouwei said nothing more, rose upon the wind, and departed westward.

Minghui withdrew his hands. Though he had just parted with a valuable treasure, there was little sign of reluctance on his face. He rubbed his palms against his kasaya, swept the pile of golden artifacts into his sleeve, and pondered inwardly, This is only enough to cover thirty percent of the cost of that spiritual flame. I wonder how much [Soul-Tuning Mulberry Wood] there actually is.

His master's soul had suffered serious damage, to the point of causing his cultivation path to collapse for a time. Over the years, however, he had rebuilt himself from the ruins by switching to another path. His attainments in the arts advanced by leaps and bounds, and he had achieved success in both the Immortal and Buddhist Daos. As such, the problem with his soul was no longer particularly urgent.

Even so, Minghui remained secretly anxious. Everything this man gets involved in is a disaster waiting to happen. Even standing on the sidelines puts my life at risk. And now he's gone and picked a fight with the Dragon Son. What am I supposed to do about that?!

Forget it... I'll go back and ask my master. I'll simply repeat everything those two said and let him hear it. Perhaps he'll gain some insight... That White Qilin is already growing suspicious. Next time, I can't be so generous. I need to act a little greedier...

He dismissed the auspicious cloud beneath him, pushed off the ground, and instantly transformed into a dazzling streak of golden light that shot into the great void before disappearing without a trace.

Some time later, the sea mist gradually thickened. Thunder rumbled incessantly overhead as layer upon layer of black clouds formed across the sky, as though some enormous creature were gliding through the heavens.

Within the dense fog, demonic clouds billowed upward. The man in black stood at the edge of the sky with his hands clasped behind his back. Layers of purple-black qi swirled within his eyes, and his expression was tinged with complexity.

The Dragon King of Bei Sea... Dongfang You has been dead for many years... The White Dragon Succession is now under his command.

Despite having fought Li Zhouwei and then being hurriedly driven away by Dongfang Lieyun, Guang Fou's gaze remained utterly calm. He continued staring silently toward the west until a quiet voice sounded beside him.

"What do you think?"

The icy killing intent had vanished from the dragon's eyes, replaced instead by unmistakable suspicion. "Their reasoning is sound, but I don't believe Luoxia would do such a thing."

"Oh?" The voice beside him carried a trace more emotion. "You think they're incapable of it?"

Guang Fou shook his head and replied, "They are capable of it, but they would never do it under the very nose of the Underworld's judiciary... There would be no point, and it runs contrary to the way Luoxia operates. Or rather, Luoxia would consider such methods beneath them."

The voice beside him paused before asking, "Even if it meant allowing [Bright Yang] to enthrone a new master?"

Billowing demonic qi rolled from the dragon's sleeves. He raised his eyes to the heavens, gazing all the way to the sun half-submerged beyond the sea of clouds, and replied calmly, "Whether a new master can truly ascend is another matter, but they would never fear it. When the seat of [Jade True] was taken, did you ever see those above show fear? On the contrary, they celebrated for Heaven and Earth and celebrated for Heavenly Glow. They celebrated that the Lord of Jade True would never return.

"From then on, the world gained one more measure of peace."

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