Chapter 162: Major event

Chapter 162: A Major Event

By the time Hu Xian'er asked that question, the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord had already reached his palace.

But he still heard the question.

He frowned, waved his hand, and saw the space directly fold, with Hu Xian'er emerging from it with a surprised expression.

She was genuinely surprised; she hadn't expected her casual complaint to prompt her master to respond and even actively bring her up.

So she immediately bowed: "This servant deserves to die..."

But the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord said unceremoniously: "You do deserve to die, but you don't yet know why you deserve to die."

"This servant doesn't understand... Even if he has a backer, how is he worth such condescension from Master?" Hu Xian'er asked in confusion.

"This is why you accomplished nothing in Qingwu City for a hundred years." The Green Mountain Kingdom Lord walked out of the palace and sat down on a stone bench in the elegant garden outside.

He stretched out a hand, and several spiritual seeds fell into it. He tossed them into the air, and numerous spiritual birds and raptors flying in the sky immediately scrambled for them, crowding together.

Although his tone showed some anger, he maintained his composure well, refraining from scolding or beating, and instead prepared to explain.

"Think carefully, what reward did he ask for?" the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord asked.

"It was... I remember it was a fragment of Moon Essence," Hu Xian'er replied.

"Under what circumstances would a fragment of Moon Essence be used?"

"It's used as Materials when Yin Qi needs to be extracted, but it's too condensed, making extraction extremely difficult, and the Qi extracted is just ordinary Tai Yin Qi."

"If the technique is exquisite, it can also be used for Artifact Refining, but although it's rare, it's not very useful, and its value isn't high. Oh, the powder might be used for healing, but Tai Yin Qi is too ethereal; it's less effective than directly using Earth Yin Qi." Hu Xian'er pondered for a moment before answering.

Basically, there was nothing wrong with it. The Tai Yin Moon Essence, hanging high in the sky, was a natural aggregation of the natural Yin Qi of heaven and earth. Its status was extremely high, containing almost infinite Yin Qi.

However, because of its immense size, this thing would naturally break apart a portion and re-condense another portion periodically, much like metabolism.

Some of these fragments would directly etherealize into Yin Qi. Many Cultivators who based their practice on the moon would gaze at the moon at night to cultivate, absorbing this naturally dispersed Tai Yin Qi.

A very small portion of the remnants, being too condensed, didn't completely break apart and would remain on the moon's surface. These were the Moon Essence fragments.

Tai Yin is located beyond the heavens; even for a Great Power, it takes some distance to go up there and pick up Moon Essence fragments. This is roughly equivalent to running ten kilometers to pick up a stone.

Their status is very high, their quantity is not large, and collecting them is very troublesome. The most crucial point is that they are not very useful; there are usually cheaper and superior substitutes.

Therefore, this item barely circulates on the market. Ninety-nine percent of Moon Essence fragments lie quietly on the surface of the Tai Yin moon, like weeds.

The ones in Li Qi's possession were brought back by the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord, who made a trip to Tai Yin at his request as a reward.

"Then think, why would he want such a nearly useless material?" the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord asked.

"He must have his own methods. There are countless cultivation methods in the world, and it's possible some might require this item," Hu Xian'er guessed uncertainly.

"What a fool! I don't even know what to say. You also know he comes from Great Deer Kingdom. Great Deer Kingdom needs Moon Essence fragments, can't you figure that out?" the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord cursed.

Upon being scolded like that, Hu Xian'er immediately searched her mind for information about Great Deer Kingdom and Moon Essence.

After her master's reminder, she carefully pondered recent major events concerning Great Deer Kingdom.

Great Deer Kingdom is very far from here. She usually doesn't pay much attention to that area, as they are separated by over a hundred thousand li, and there's almost no connection between them anymore.

However, Great Deer Kingdom indeed had a major event recently that shook the entire world.

Empress Luofu was gravely wounded by a single sword strike from the Human Emperor, fleeing from Sword South to Baiyue. Two Third Rank Supreme Beings from the Human Dao pursued her all the way to Baiyue, even destroying the four countries of Song, Shishan, Mingqing, and Xiaolie within three days. Two of the four country lords were slain on the spot, and the remaining two barely escaped with half their lives.

Afterward, a Grand Invoker arrived, fighting two against one, all the way to the outer heavens. He actually defeated both Utmost Persons, who fled in disarray, even sacrificing a fourth-rank Spiritual Artifact as a distraction, like a gecko shedding its tail, to successfully escape.

After that, the standoff between Shaman God Mountain and Tang Nation at the border became increasingly severe. It was said that in that area, even natural mountain and river deities could not be born, and various laws also began to fail. This was the result of the mutual clash between Shaman Dao and Human Dao, clearly an lawless land where even Cultivators of ranked grades were rarely seen.

This should be the most severe situation Great Deer Kingdom has encountered, because the battlefield of the two Utmost Persons and the Grand Invoker was in Great Deer Kingdom, bordering Song Kingdom.

Besides this, Hu Xian'er had no other specific knowledge about Great Deer Kingdom.

No, there was one more thing.

It happened just last year: an Opportunity emerged on White Snake Mountain in Great Deer Kingdom, attracting countless people like Hu Xian'er to compete for it. It was a Grand Diviner's finger print, containing a Dao韵. The White Snake Mountain God profited immensely from it.

It was also about Empress Luofu. It seemed Empress Luofu's hidden whereabouts were exposed, and a Grand Diviner from Shaman God Mountain personally descended to guide her, repelling a Great Power who had also learned the news and rushed over to take advantage of the chaos. He successfully rescued Empress Luofu and also seized a second-rank Spiritual Artifact, the Sun-Moon True Lead Cauldron, a Legacy of Mount Luofu, returning with a full harvest.

And the battlefield left behind became a new land of Opportunity, with people constantly going there, trying to observe the Grand Diviner's Dao韵 to further their cultivation. Many armed conflicts even broke out because of this.

Besides that, was there anything else?

Although all these events were in Great Deer Kingdom, what did they have to do with Moon Essence fragments?

Seeing Hu Xian'er remain silent for a long time, the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord, with an expression of disappointment, sternly rebuked: "Use your brain! Who were the people who escaped from Mount Luofu? Who were the people the higher-ups ordered all of Baiyue to search for?"

Hu Xian'er immediately shivered!

Right, there was such a thing. Shaman God Mountain had once ordered all the Baiyue countries to conduct self-inspections to find traces of Empress Luofu!

The Green Mountain Kingdom Lord naturally also instructed his subordinates to implement it and posted many notices.

The clues given from above at that time, besides a stack of Empress Luofu's characteristics and cultivation methods, also included her maids, who were also provided as clues.

Because it was something her master specifically told her to pay attention to, she took it very seriously and remembered it clearly. At that time, it was said that when Empress Luofu escaped, she was accompanied by the Essences of the Sun and Moon. If these two were found, it meant Empress Luofu was nearby.

These two were Moon Essence Shen Shuibi and Yang Ning, the Sun Essence, both Sun and Moon spirits born from the Sun-Moon True Lead Cauldron, naturally extraordinary beings.

"This person, is he related to Moon Essence?" Hu Xian'er looked up, finally understanding her master's meaning.

"I'm afraid it's more than that." Seeing Hu Xian'er finally grasp the most basic point, the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord then advanced the topic a bit: "Being related to Moon Essence is one thing, but if it's just someone related to Moon Essence, would he not cultivate Daoist cultivation methods and instead cultivate Shaman Dao?"

Upon hearing this, Hu Xian'er was immediately struck by lightning! She stood frozen in place.

Yes, she should have thought of it sooner!

It was just that the answer was too terrifying, causing her to subconsciously exclude it.

She couldn't be blamed; no one would easily bring up that answer.

Because, in the hearts of all Cultivators in Baiyue above the seventh rank, that answer could explain all doubts and satisfy all questions, yet it was absolutely impossible for it to appear in reality.

It was like the ultimate truth; theoretically, it could explain everything, and everyone knew of its existence, but no one would apply the ultimate truth to every problem.

But sometimes, some problems just happen to fit that ultimate truth perfectly.

"Shaman... Shaman God Mountain." Hu Xian'er's cold sweat poured down, and she answered trembling.

Even though a seventh-rank Cultivator could easily control metabolism, she still couldn't control it. The cold sweat soaked the thin gauze she was wearing, making her whole body appear semi-transparent.

"Have you figured it out? Do you know why I've told you so much?" The Green Mountain Kingdom Lord snorted when he saw Hu Xian'er so frightened: "This is a lesson for you. Remember, in the future, use your brain when things happen. Don't be like Jin Chi, who only relies on brute force."

"This... this servant understands." Hu Xian'er replied tremblingly.

The Green Mountain Kingdom Lord shook his head, continuing to toss spiritual seeds into the sky to feed the birds, and said without looking back: "Go back. Don't reveal this matter to anyone, not even to Li Qi. If you don't tell him, he'll still think well of me and know that I helped him."

"If you tell him, then it becomes me investing early and seeking repayment. Although he certainly wouldn't fail to repay, the sentiment would be much weaker, understand?"

"This servant understands." Hu Xian'er had calmed down considerably, bowing her head in agreement, though her mind was elsewhere.

"Moreover, I added some things to the reward he requested. The next time we meet, he will surely thank me personally," the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord said.

With that, he waved his hand, and the space around Hu Xian'er twisted, and she vanished from her spot.

And he closed his eyes.

This gift, given through the reward, should make this Young Master remember a good deed from him, right? It should be possible.

Thinking these thoughts, he controlled the palace, accelerating and speeding through the outer domain.

He still had things to do.

Jin Chi was rushing to get his son reincarnated.

Is it that simple?

Jin Chi was brainless, but he managed to have a smart son like Jin Buhuan, whom he treasured immensely, considering him his future successor.

How could he really let Jin Buhuan be cultivated?

Jin Chi can manipulate Reincarnation, but I can't?

— — — — — — — — — —

Meanwhile, Li Qi spent a day wandering around Qingwu Sect, mainly visiting Qingwu Sect's businesses and selecting cultivation methods.

There wasn't much to say about Qingwu Sect's businesses; although they were indeed pleasing to the eye, Li Qi had no interest in those women and wasn't going to try them himself.

After a brief tour to broaden his horizons, he focused on finding cultivation methods, which was more important.

He chose a cultivation method for Old Ma that was moderate in both strength and price, allowing cultivation up to the eighth rank, named "Unrivaled Song."

The name is derived from 'fierce beasts do not flock, powerful birds do not sing poetry', taking the fierce beast Qi within the Dragon Horse as its core for refinement, absorbing the righteous Qi of heaven and earth for tempering. A roar can contain a trace of righteous Qi; by cultivating into a demon with this method, one becomes like a hero among beasts, filled with righteous Qi, rising with a proud head, thundering in the sky, Qi boundless, devouring tigers and repelling soldiers, eyes like gold, traversing the earth without limits.

This characteristic suited Li Qi perfectly, so after much deliberation and reviewing many books, he still chose this one.

Although he didn't know why Qingwu Sect, which primarily earned wealth through the flesh trade, would collect such a cultivation method, Li Qi gladly accepted it.

Qingwu Sect originally intended to give him the original copy, but Li Qi firmly refused. He requested a blank book, stayed up all night, and copied down the cultivation method's circulation routes, various Qi absorption methods, and key points. As for the core divine intention Legacy, he diligently memorized it himself, planning to teach it to Old Ma later.

After handling these matters, Li Qi bid farewell to Qingwu Sect and returned to the inn.

Along the way, many people still greeted him and tried to strike up conversations, which Li Qi superficially humored.

At the inn, the rabbit was squatting at the door, drowsily.

But upon hearing Li Qi's voice, she immediately looked up and walked out the door.

"Oh, Shen Guniang, I'm back. Everything's done. Let's leave today!" Li Qi saw Shen Shuibi, quickly walked up to her, and said directly.

But Shen Shuibi frowned, pulled Li Qi, then stood on tiptoe and touched his head.

Li Qi thought she missed him and was feeling a bit smug, but Shen Shuibi then directly pulled open his eyelids, looked at the whites of his eyes, and then propped open his chin to smell it.

Then she took his hand and carefully felt his pulse.

Then, Shen Shuibi said to him in a very serious tone: "Li Qi, has someone touched your body recently?"

Li Qi replied: "Uh... the Qingwu Sect Master helped me heal. Her methods were very miraculous, like she was cutting and stitching very small parts inside me, repairing the damaged parts—oof!"

Li Qi was halfway through his sentence when Shen Shuibi, ignoring his words, slapped him directly on the chest.

The intense pain tore him apart from the inside!

Li Qi immediately fell to the ground with a thud. He felt as if he had fallen from a twenty-meter high platform and then directly slammed onto a concrete floor.

His entire body felt cut open, minced, like he had been thrown into a meat grinder and turned into ground meat.

Even with Li Qi's mental fortitude, he couldn't help but cry out, falling to the ground.

After a long while, he slowly recovered, covered in sweat and constantly gasping for breath.

"Shen, Shen... Guniang, what, what's going on..." Li Qi struggled to get up, almost collapsing from exhaustion.

And, his injuries had recovered.

Not that they had healed, but rather, they had reverted from a healthy state to their previously injured state.

"Don't let those quacks touch you! Luckily, you came back in time. If she had really treated you like that and then let it slowly heal, by the time it fully recovered, your inner human small world would have lost its natural form, leading to severe after-effects on your Shaman Dao Dao path. You'd have to put in a hundred or a thousand times more effort to recover later," Shen Shuibi said very seriously, stroking Li Qi's head.

"Okay..." Besides this, Li Qi was almost too exhausted to say anything else.

Anyway, no matter what... she wouldn't harm him.

Let it be. He didn't want to do anything but play dead.

So painful.

Ah, I'm dead.

Last day of February, please give me any unwanted monthly passes!