Chapter 161: Demon's lair

At the main sect of Qingwu Sect, on a tranquil mountain.

Inside the thatched hut, two or three cups of tea were served, with a beauty adding fragrance.

On the table, two or three words were exchanged, as heroes laughed and conversed.

The Green Mountain Kingdom Lord put away his pen and paper, smiling as he said, “Truly, heroes emerge from youth! When I was at the Ninth Rank, I would tremble slightly upon encountering an Eighth Rank, not daring to speak a single word.

But you, Li Qi, can remain calm and composed even in front of me, and you even dared to use force against Jin Chi.

If such courage were to spread, I wonder how many young heroes would be drawn to it.”

Li Qi blushed with embarrassment.

He wiped his forehead, picked up his teacup, and strategically took a sip of water: “Your Majesty praises me too much.

I was merely acting as an intermediary, a negotiator, nothing more.

The true danger was borne by Your Majesty.

What is there for a junior like me to be praised for?”

“Modesty, modesty indeed.” The Green Mountain Kingdom Lord appeared very magnanimous, without any air of arrogance: “I have told your deeds to several of my good friends, and they all marveled.

You must know, an ordinary Ninth Rank, merely witnessing a battle between us, would likely be scared to death.

Yet you were able to execute Jin Buhuan without a change in expression.

This is no small feat.”

These words were indeed true; Li Qi himself had experienced it firsthand.

When his Shaman Dao had not yet entered the ranks, he witnessed the battle between Bear Kill Great King and Curse Demon Great King.

Merely feeling the killing intent emanating from them, he almost died instantly.

That trace of killing intent contained no energy whatsoever; it was purely an Aura, but it was precisely this Aura that nearly scared Li Qi to death.

It was only because of his firm Dao Heart, and by tearing his own Spirit Soul in a semi-suicidal manner, that he barely managed to endure.

The disparity between them was too vast.

However, seeing such things frequently can build up resistance.

Li Qi’s luck was too good, his background too privileged, and he had witnessed too many grand scenes, so he had somewhat grown accustomed to it…

But these things could not be spoken of too much, so he merely replied: “This junior has been somewhat slow since childhood, not very sensitive to killing intent and the like, so I’ve taken advantage of that in this regard.”

Upon hearing this, the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord burst into laughter, but after laughing, he said: “This can also be considered a natural talent, I suppose.

Putting that aside, the main reason I called you here this time is that I wanted to speak with you face-to-face, and also to give you the reward you requested.”

Saying this, he waved his hand and instructed the beautiful concubine beside him: “Xian’er, heal Li Qi’s injuries.

It’s no fun drinking tea with an injured body!”

Hu Xian’er received the instruction and immediately nodded, then stepped forward, extending her hand in invitation: “Mr. Li, please extend your hand and allow this concubine to examine and treat you.”

“Then I shall trouble Senior,” Li Qi said respectfully, without putting on any airs of a Genius.

He was not worthy at all.

Just because others elevated him did not mean he truly had the right to look down on others.

He understood this much.

He extended his hand, and Hu Xian’er took it.

As their hands met, Li Qi felt as if he were touching warm spring water, soft and fragrant skin, smooth and delicate.

He felt like this place was constantly testing his Dao Heart…

However, this feeling did not last too long.

After his hand touched hers, he suddenly felt a flame ignite within his body.

It wasn’t a flame of lust, but rather, his cold and yin-dominant internal organs were suddenly replenished with a large amount of Yang Qi.

Within his body, Yin Qi flourished and Yang Qi rose, and his previous weakness and strain were skillfully mended.

Hu Xian’er was… performing surgery on him?

It wasn’t merely a simple replenishment of Yang Qi; that method would be too crude.

While it might make Li Qi feel better in the short term, it would be like a broken vessel trying to hold water—no matter how much water was poured in, it would only leak out.

Shen Shuibi’s choice was slow nourishment through food, having Piao Xu feed Li Qi large amounts of invigorating food, while she herself refined Medicinal Pills that replenished Yang Qi and repaired the body, allowing Li Qi’s body to slowly heal itself, letting the vessel mend on its own.

This had no side effects and also suited Shen Shuibi’s current energy.

Hu Xian’er, on the other hand, used a more direct method.

She completely disregarded her own consumption and energy, and directly performed an operation inside Li Qi’s body.

Li Qi felt countless tiny Qi moving within his body; some were needles, some were threads, and some were knives.

His organs, muscles, and bones—the completely damaged parts were cut away, and the salvageable parts were mended.

Needles threaded, lines drawn, cutting, suturing, yet there was no pain.

Li Qi’s feeling was very strange.

He suddenly understood Hu Xian’er’s method.

This was… surgery at the molecular level?

It was as if a group of nano-robots were repairing the wounds inside his body, even repairing the microcosm of the human body itself.

Such a Divine Ability was truly miraculous!

As the surgery progressed, Hu Xian’er’s expression gradually became solemn, and she even started to sweat, her body trembling slightly.

It was evident that performing precise operations directly at the molecular level was a great burden for her as well.

After about a quarter of an hour, Hu Xian’er let out a long sigh: “I have not failed my mission… Sir’s injuries are largely healed.”

Li Qi moved around a bit.

Indeed, he was healed.

His entire body had returned to its original state, all injuries, even hidden ones, had recovered; broken bones and tendons were re-sutured, and the cracks in his personal microcosm were also filled.

“Many thanks, Senior!” Li Qi bowed respectfully.

Injuries that would normally require several months of slow recuperation were repaired in just a quarter of an hour.

Truly worthy of a Seventh Rank!

“Sir need not be so polite; this is what this concubine ought to do,” Hu Xian’er dared not accept the bow, stepping aside to avoid it, then retreated to the side of the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord.

“Alright, now that your injuries are mostly healed, here is the reward you requested.

Take it and hide it carefully; it’s a bit too valuable for a Ninth Rank,” the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord said with a smile, then handed over a small porcelain bottle.

The bottle was made of porcelain and appeared unremarkable.

Li Qi accepted the porcelain bottle: “Many thanks, Your Majesty.

If I had to search for this item myself, I truly don’t know how long it would take to find it.”

“No matter, you helped me drive out the Jin family’s influence, and also saved me a lot of time,” the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord waved his hand.

He then asked: “However, Li Qi, now that your injuries are healed, you probably won’t stay in Qingwu City for long.

Have you thought about where you’ll go next?”

“This junior will likely continue heading Southwest, but I don’t have a specific destination.

After all, it’s just a journey; I haven’t set a concrete goal,” Li Qi replied.

This wasn’t a lie; he indeed had no specific objective.

As long as the direction was Southwest, he could just follow his feelings for the rest.

“Then I can point you towards an Opportunity.

I wonder if you trust me?” the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord said with a smile.

“How could I not trust you?

Your Majesty has treated me with such profound kindness; if I can’t even trust Your Majesty, then who can I trust?” Li Qi quickly replied.

“Then you can listen to my words.

If you head Southwest from here, about forty thousand li away, there will be a Swallowing Heaven Demon Nest.”

“The demon race there, unlike the peaceful demon race nearby, are extremely bloodthirsty.

The surrounding countries have almost all migrated, and then they strictly guard their borders, with major battles erupting frequently.”

“Within that Swallowing Heaven Demon Nest, there is a Fifth Rank demon, named Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord, and he also has six Sixth Rank demons under him, who are six brothers.

They are six mutated toads that absorbed the foul Qi of the heavens to become demons, and thus possess the Six Maladies Divine Ability.”

Li Qi nodded, listening carefully to the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord’s narration.

The other party was likely talking about a place that would be greatly beneficial to him.

Although the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord didn’t explain, he knew what the other party was referring to.

As the saying goes, there are six Qi in heaven: Yin, Yang, Wind, Rain, Gloom, and Brightness.

The six Qi descend to become the five flavors, manifest as the five colors, appear as the five sounds, and when excessive, give rise to the six maladies.

Excessive Yin Qi causes cold maladies, excessive Yang Qi causes heat maladies, excessive Wind Qi causes limb maladies, excessive Rain Qi causes abdominal maladies, excessive Gloom Qi causes confusion maladies, and excessive Brightness Qi causes heart maladies.

When the six maladies are excessive, disasters occur.

These six Sixth Rank Demon Kings should be using the overly stagnant and negative foul Qi of the heavens as the foundation for their Cultivation.

He just didn’t know the true origin of the Fifth Rank Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord, but Li Qi felt that the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord probably didn’t know either.

Why would anyone casually reveal the foundation of their Cultivation?

This thing was a matter of life and death.

If someone grasped your weakness, they could calmly set up formations to counter you.

Didn’t Li Qi take down Jin Buhuan this way?

After sparring with Jin Buhuan, Li Qi revealed nothing, while Jin Buhuan’s weakness was completely exposed.

Perhaps Jin Buhuan thought he had hidden himself well, but Li Qi’s discernment was stronger than his concealment skills, which directly led to him being completely suppressed by Li Qi in the subsequent duel, even when he desperately urged his two Jin Qi (Metal Energy).

Of course, this also relates to knowledge levels and cannot be generalized.

Perhaps even if your weakness is exposed, your opponent might never know how to counter it, right?

After all, knowledge is very precious, and not everyone is like Li Qi, with a physical encyclopedia available for him to memorize at will, and perhaps even a library at his disposal once he returned to his School.

Si Lao, that rustic wild shaman, didn’t understand even what Li Qi considered very basic knowledge.

“Is there anything special about this Swallowing Heaven Demon Nest?” Li Qi asked with some curiosity after hearing the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord’s introduction.

The Green Mountain Kingdom Lord replied: “The Swallowing Heaven Demon Nest itself isn’t special, but because no one around can control it, the surroundings aren’t as orderly as they are along this path.

Over there, demons run rampant, and righteous individuals often go to exterminate them, leading to constant warfare.”

Li Qi nodded, but he didn’t know why the other party would recommend this place to him.

“And I recently received news that the Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord will soon travel to the Void Realm for an Opportunity, leaving only those six toads to guard the Nest, so a defensive gap will appear.”

“This alone isn’t much, but it also happens that Orthodox Sword Palace is currently preparing to dispatch their Elders to intercept and slay one of the Sixth Rank toads, to rectify the atmosphere and also to exact revenge.”

“With this back and forth, Orthodox Sword Palace may not necessarily be able to kill that toad, but it will inevitably create a flaw in the Swallowing Heaven Demon Nest.

It’s of no use to me, but it’s of considerable use to you, Li Qi.

You can seize the Opportunity to sneak in.

Here in Bright Lake, there is a Nascent Soul treasure in the midst of gestation, which might help you condense your inner body spirits.”

Li Qi then understood the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord’s meaning and suddenly realized.

It turned out the other party was pointing out a fortuitous encounter to him.

To the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord, this thing was probably like readily available trash, but to him, it should be a very valuable item.

Not giving it to him directly, but merely indicating the location, the other party was very thoughtful.

“Many thanks for the information, Your Majesty.

May I ask, what are Orthodox Sword Palace and Bright Lake?” Li Qi asked again, as he indeed hadn’t heard of these things, which should be a force and a place name within the Swallowing Heaven Demon Nest.

“Bright Lake is a lake within the Swallowing Heaven Demon Nest, inhabited by water demons, but I imagine that won’t be a problem for you,” the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord explained: “As for Orthodox Sword Palace, it is a Cultivation School that establishes itself through martial arts.

Its rules are upright, and its disciples are mostly chivalrous.

The Palace Master has achieved the Sixth Rank, which is quite good.

Previously, Orthodox Sword Palace meddled in the affairs of that Swallowing Heaven Demon Nest, and a Demon King acted to intercept and kill an Elder of Orthodox Sword Palace.

Orthodox Sword Palace was already dissatisfied with the existence of the Swallowing Heaven Demon Nest, and this made them direct enemies.

They joined forces with some surrounding countries, frequently going to the Swallowing Heaven Demon Nest to kill demons and rescue people.”

“This time, Orthodox Sword Palace also received news that the Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord is about to go to the Void Realm, so they are preparing to mobilize all their forces to sever one of his fingers.

This is precisely your Opportunity.”

“There’s no benefit in saying more about the specific details.

It’s better for you to go and see for yourself; you’ll naturally learn many things.

With your abilities, it shouldn’t be difficult, right?” The Green Mountain Kingdom Lord winked at Li Qi.

It was evident that this Green Mountain Kingdom Lord still greatly trusted Li Qi’s ability to infer the whole from a small part.

After all, Li Qi had just arrived and had been there for less than two days, yet he immediately saw through the situation in Qingwu City, managed to successfully utilize it, and even analyzed the relationships between dozens of forces, then lobbied each of them.

Although he leveraged the influence of Qingwu Sect, he still, by himself, united forces sufficient to suppress Jin Buhuan’s other powers.

For Li Qi, a mere hint would make it easy for him to gather intelligence there on his own.

“So that’s how it is.

Many thanks for your guidance, Your Majesty.

This junior was just worrying about how to condense my Nascent Soul.

I will certainly not forget Your Majesty’s kindness in guiding me.” Li Qi immediately stood up, bowing solemnly in gratitude, and specifically emphasized that he would not forget.

Li Qi was very clear that he was nothing right now.

The reason the other party treated him so kindly was purely because they valued his potential.

Therefore, not forgetting kindness was the best response to the other party.

“Haha, just consider it a Senior’s reminder.

Now that things are done, I shall take my leave.

You should also take some cultivation methods back with you.

Feel free to look around more.

The Demon Dao cultivation methods of Qingwu Sect may not be profound, but they should be sufficient for入门.” The Green Mountain Kingdom Lord finished his tea, smiled, and stood up, preparing to depart.

Li Qi was already standing, watching as the other party took a step and disappeared from the spot, then turned and bowed to Hu Xian’er and Hu Meier: “Now that the main business is concluded, Seniors, regarding the cultivation methods…”

“Sir, please follow me.

This concubine will now take you to the scripture repository,” Hu Meier immediately replied, then invited Li Qi to accompany her.

Hu Xian’er watched the two of them leave.

Afterward, she sighed softly, and with a wave of her hand, the tea set from earlier automatically flew up, then cleaned itself and returned to its proper place.

Hu Xian’er then quietly asked the Void Realm: “Master, why are you so concerned about a Ninth Rank child?”