Chapter 152: Communication

Jin Buhuan had already arrived at Green Mountain.

The Qi of Heaven was controlled by Si Lao, so the group could travel by wind, covering two thousand li in just an hour.

After reaching the Eighth-grade, one already possesses the rudimentary ability to fly, and their movement speed greatly increases, which is why Young Master Zhu confidently said that Li Qi would definitely return to Shaman God Mountain within ten years.

This is also why Jin Buhuan could so confidently declare that he would be back tomorrow.

Upon reaching Green Mountain, his first order of business was to return home.

Most of Green Mountain is green, interspersed with some red.

This is a mountain range almost entirely composed of metal, like a mixed, massive lump of metal spanning several thousand li.

From within it, rivers of mercury, golden rain, silver snow, and red copper winds flow endlessly.

There are mines everywhere here! Besides the common five metals—gold, silver, copper, iron, and tin—there are countless other minerals, such as lead, mercury, and cinnabar.

All minerals are intertwined within the veins, everything is within reach; one simply needs to carry a basket and toss things in, not even requiring a pickaxe.

It was this nearly inexhaustible 'Golden Mountain' that became the key to Green Mountain's rise.

The Green Mountain Mountain God, also a natural anomaly born here, a White Tiger, was originally formed from a wisp of Jin Qi (Metal Energy) within this mountain. Through Cultivation, he ultimately chose the Divine Dao and became the Mountain God of this place, and also the most powerful Di Qi (Earthly Qi) in Green Mountain Country.

However, the complete metallization makes this place almost devoid of any vitality. Aside from the occasional Jin Qi (Metal Energy) creatures, cultivators seeking treasure in the mountains, and miners extracting ore, there is almost no living thing.

Not even trees.

The rivers here are either liquid mercury or full of rust water, completely undrinkable.

This is one reason why Jin Buhuan has always lived in Qingwu City.

Compared to the dead silence of Green Mountain, he still preferred the bustling Mortal World of Qingwu City.

Jin Buhuan led his men without stopping, rushing towards their destination.

He knew his father disliked being disturbed, so he didn't go to pay respects to his old man, but instead headed straight for the rumored place where Jin Qi (Metal Energy) was about to be born.

On the way, he passed a valley.

This was the only place in Green Mountain that had 'wood' to date.

The valley was lit with countless lanterns, with frames made of剡木, painted with cinnabar, and draped with patterned brocade, decorated extremely luxuriously. Although the architectural style was quite rough, the materials used were not cheap at all.

These frames formed the buildings within the valley. From the valley, there was a stone path that followed the mountain and valley, with lanterns hanging all the way from the valley entrance to the very top of the valley, leaving no unlit areas. The entire mountain glowed brightly, as if it were daytime.

There were so many lanterns that from below, they looked like a river of stars pouring down, blazing brightly, as if a Heavenly God were touring at night, spilling countless fireflies into the valley, clinging to grass and wood, lingering and never fading.

Looking further up, one could see countless beautiful women, dressed in minimal clothing, serving barefoot, allowing their master to undress them intimately. Women's shoes hung on racks, swaying with the lanterns, like autumn leaves in the wind.

Jin Buhuan looked at this scene and shook his head.

His brother was truly as useless as ever.

Just a piece of trash that couldn't be helped.

He only glanced at it before turning and leaving.

He arrived at a gold mine.

Here, people were bustling.

Because this was where Jin Qi (Metal Energy) was born, Green Mountain did not forbid others from snatching it, so generally, many people would come to wait for its emergence, then engage in a struggle to snatch it.

Jin Buhuan was a bit nervous, after all, he wasn't completely confident about an Eighth-grade Jin Qi (Metal Energy) being born.

Normally, Jin Buhuan wouldn't bother with these matters, because a large part of Green Mountain's popularity relied on these treasure seekers.

So, for his father, intentionally releasing some lower-grade Jin Qi (Metal Energy) as an unexpected fortune for these people was a good thing. It could attract traffic and also forge a Karma.

Therefore, if his sons wanted their own Eighth-grade Jin Qi (Metal Energy), they had to fight for it themselves, to show the Green Mountain Mountain God's impartiality.

So, after getting his own, he never thought of going.

But today, he had to personally check on this Jin Qi (Metal Energy).

If it was truly the Yin and Yang merger that Li Qi spoke of, then after he obtained it, he would offer it to his father once he came out of seclusion.

His father would certainly not accept it, but would only favor him more, killing two birds with one stone.

His second elder brother had already given up, so he would see what the other one was up to.

His eldest brother hadn't given up hope and surely wanted a mouthful of Jin Qi (Metal Energy) to contend with him, so he should come, right?

Jin Buhuan was pondering these matters when suddenly, he felt Divine Qi (Divine Qi) originating from the same source as his own.

Looking up, his eldest brother stood on the other side, looking at him.

Their gazes met, and they exchanged a smile.

As if by coincidence, precisely at that moment, the Jin Qi (Metal Energy) emerged, its sharpness piercing the sky, impossible to conceal.

The thousand onlookers attacked simultaneously.

Jin Buhuan shook his head.

A group of Ninth-grade cultivators, why did they come to die? Do they really think they are Child of Destiny? Green Mountain and the surrounding Qingwu City have hundreds of thousands of Ninth-grade cultivators, and only these few thousand are crazy enough.

Perhaps they aren't crazy, but have a reason to take a chance? After all, there have been successful cases of Ninth-grade cultivators in the past.

But it doesn't matter.

Jin Buhuan looked back at Si Lao.

Si Lao nodded.

Immediately after, over half of the thousand Ninth-grade cultivators instantly died or were injured. The remaining ones used their various methods, some to save their lives, some to continue fighting, and some seemed to realize only now that they were nothing at all and quickly fled.

But none of that mattered. Instead, four or five Eighth-grade powerhouses attacked simultaneously, and the surrounding ground exploded!

They were the main force contending for this item.

— — — — — — — —

Almost simultaneously.

Li Qi was seated in a palace, with delicacies and fragrant wine laid out before him. Around him, light gauze drapes swayed, and candles flickered.

Moreover, a beauty was seated in his embrace.

A graceful and lovely woman, a single glance from her brought forth a hundred charms.

Her appearance was exquisite, her features beautiful, and her skin fair.

Her pupils were like clear jade, her Lotus-like figure swayed in the breeze, a branch of jade grass bloomed elegantly in the forest, and her red tongue turned a few pearls.

She was truly a great beauty with a soaring voice, slender grace like the moon, charming in both smiles and frowns, and a body fragrant like orchids.

In terms of appearance, she was on par with Shen Shuibi, but compared to the dull, almost non-existent rabbit, her temperament was even superior.

Especially when her gaze was seductive and her spirit focused on charm, it made one feel the beauty's deliberate tenderness and lingering affection, making it difficult to extricate oneself.

To be honest, Li Qi almost couldn't maintain his composure.

However, he calmed his mind, steadied his spirit, closed his eyes, and tried his best to ignore the various soft touches on his body: “Senior, as a dignified Seventh-grade, why stoop so low?”

Yes, Seventh-grade. This beautiful woman before him was the true Sovereign of Qingwu City.

Hu Xian'er, who Dual Cultivated medicine and demon, and achieved the Dao of Seventh-grade.

“With this soft jade in my arms, is Mister not tempted?” Hu Xian'er lightly stroked Li Qi's chin, blowing air upwards.

“This junior is here to discuss serious matters, please, Senior, do not jest.” Li Qi looked at his nose and then at his heart, silently reciting one, two, three, four, five, suppressing his instincts.

“So serious~, but if you're not tempted, why would you close your eyes?” Hu Xian'er's voice reached his ear again, and he could almost feel the warmth.

“Temptation is one thing, but matters always have priorities. As long as the important matters are not settled, this junior is unwilling to discuss other things.” Li Qi answered honestly.

After saying this, he tried his best to suppress all distracting thoughts in his mind.

There was no other way; it wasn't that he lacked self-control, but the disparity was too great.

A Seventh-grade fox spirit, she probably wasn't even serious yet, right? If she were to truly use her charm, could he really resist?

Since he absolutely couldn't resist from the start, it meant that this fox wasn't actually willing to truly engage with him. Instead of fantasizing, it was better to quickly get the main business done.

Yes, after Li Qi finished discussing with the anti-Jin forces there, he immediately rushed to visit Qingwu Sect.

He relied on the mysterious aspects of his identity to be able to meet Hu Xian'er. With his mysterious identity and his feud with Jin Buhuan, Hu Xian'er wouldn't refuse to see him.

And for Li Qi, to completely eliminate Jin Buhuan, he had to rely on the power of Qingwu Sect. What he had just discussed, and himself, were merely the blade, not the hand holding the blade.

A blade without a sufficiently strong hand to wield it cannot harm anyone.

But for the wielder, if there is no blade, it is easy to harm oneself.

The two are indispensable.

Just as Li Qi was thinking this, suddenly, a chill swept around him, as if wind was blowing.

The surrounding scene suddenly changed from the previously magnificent and extremely lavish palace to an ordinary small garden.

The decor was elegant, with fruit trees planted along the edges, and surrounded by oranges, plums, pears, dates, and wolfberries.

Only then did Li Qi open his eyes.

Damn it, he was right.

It had been her illusion from beginning to end; he hadn't touched an inch of her skin from the start.

After opening his eyes, he realized that his table still held delicious food and wine, but Hu Xian'er was ten paces away from him, in a thatched hut in the orchard, only half of her body visible.

That was close; at least the food and drink she provided were real, she didn't make him eat air.

After truly meeting this well-known fox spirit, Li Qi found that her demeanor was ethereal, like a lark in the solitary sky, utterly devoid of flirtatiousness.

Seeing Li Qi observing her, Hu Xian'er stepped out from behind the door and sat opposite Li Qi: “Since Mister is truly here to discuss serious matters, please speak~.”

Upon hearing this, Li Qi immediately put aside all distracting thoughts and focused on the matter at hand.

“Senior, do you not feel that Green Mountain has interfered with Qingwu City for too long?” Li Qi asked.

Hu Xian'er chuckled lightly: “Hehe, the Lu Mountain God and I are colleagues, merely governing together. How can you say 'interference'? Mister, please do not sow discord, be careful I hand you over to the authorities~.”

Li Qi respectfully said: “Then, Senior, please allow this junior to present the facts. Listen first, and then hand me over to the authorities if you wish.”

“Green Mountain God Jin Chi's overbearing conduct is well-known, but his destructive power is immense, and his strength is extraordinary. Even the National Lord can only forcibly suppress him by virtue of being one grade higher, but cannot truly subdue him, so he can only let him be.”

“Wait, you know Jin Chi's name?” Hearing Li Qi's words, the Qingwu Sect Master's tone became a bit serious.

“Naturally.” Li Qi replied.

“What is your background? How do you know these things?” the Qingwu Sect Master asked.

“Please forgive this junior for not being able to speak plainly, but this junior indeed comes from Great Deer Kingdom. Senior should also know that Jin Chi is not only extremely destructive, but also extremely murderous. If this is exposed, it may lead to considerable trouble.” Li Qi replied respectfully.

Hu Xian'er extended her slender, fair hand, elegantly pouring out the fine wine, washing Li Qi's cup and pouring tea. While doing these things, she said: “But if it's not exposed, will you not die? If it's according to Mister's thoughts, Jin Chi will surely regard you as a malicious gossip, and then you will also be unable to escape death. Why bother? Why must you risk your life to provoke him? Jin Buhuan and you don't have a deep hatred, do you?”

“To be honest, this concubine has also been following Mister these past few days. I don't quite understand why Mister insists on putting Jin Buhuan to death? Your actions certainly align with the interests of Qingwu Sect, but I don't understand your motive.” the Qingwu Sect Master asked.

Li Qi replied: “A great man has things he does, and things he does not do.”

“For what he does not do, even if thousands of temptations lie before him, and swords, spears, and halberds behind him, he will never do it.” Li Qi's tone was serious.

The Qingwu Sect Master nodded, indicating approval.

She had just tested him. She adjusted her illusion to a level that wouldn't truly affect his sanity, but would definitely make his Spirit Soul (Spirit Soul) disoriented, yet he remained unmoved, secretly biting his tongue several times but refusing to give in.

“But, if there is something that must be done, even if there are thousands of people, I will go!” Li Qi raised his head, his voice resolute and decisive.

Although it seemed very passionate, the Qingwu Sect Master didn't seem to be very moved.

But she still praised him: “Mister is a true hero. With such determination, your Dao path is already smooth.”

“However, Mister's determination and motive, this concubine understands. But what will Mister rely on to achieve it? There is so much injustice in the world. If Mister were to meddle in every single one, I'm afraid you wouldn't be saying this to me, would you? After all, although Qingwu Sect still has its bottom line and isn't as insane as Green Mountain, to say it's very fair… I'm afraid that's not the case.”

“Why does Mister insist on executing Jin Buhuan, yet regards Qingwu Sect as an ally?” the Qingwu Sect Master asked.

In the Qingwu Sect Master's view, such matters were difficult to explain.

You say he's upholding justice? Only a ghost would believe that.

Jin Buhuan isn't a good person.

Are others, then?

Why target Jin Buhuan specifically?

If one were to truly help whenever they saw injustice, how would they even walk?

The world is full of injustice; can one possibly manage it all?

If he were truly as he claimed, he would have died long ago; how could he still be alive now?

So Hu Xian'er didn't believe a word of Li Qi's self-description; she wanted to hear the real reason.

And Li Qi knew this too.

Li Qi had his own scale in his heart; he knew his principles for acting.

He was very clear about what he should meddle in and what he could meddle in.

But he also knew that not many people would believe him.

So, he replied: “Besides that, this junior naturally has a second reason.”