Chapter 1676: Nanwu (II)
Chapter 1676: Nanwu (II)
Li Ximing was somewhat surprised, but Sima Yuanli coughed lightly, signaling that the subject should not be pursued. Li Ximing set down his teacup and silently nodded.
That makes sense. For one thing, if his family had truly been part of the Purple Terrace Profound Pavilion Sect, they would never have been hunted down into such ruin. Even then, if Wei Xuanyin intended to make a move, he wouldn't have gone about it this way... There'd be no need to invite suspicion. Even if he didn't choose someone descended from the Bright Yang lineage, he would at least have picked someone with a cleaner background...
Guo Nanwu looked slightly embarrassed before quickly continuing, "I understand how precious this item is, so I have brought along a spirit item as well."
Li Ximing looked up in interest, "Oh?"
Guo Nanwu withdrew a small box from his robes. He casually opened it, revealing a clear, lustrous gleam within.
He said softly, "Please have a look, senior."
Li Ximing extended his spiritual sense and immediately saw majestic metal qi surging within the box. Restrained by the divine ability mana enveloping its surface, the brilliant light had condensed at the bottom into a distinct Metal Virtue spirit item.
Li Ximing narrowed his eyes and asked, "[Dui Metal]?"
"Exactly!" Guo Nanwu answered solemnly, "This item has no name. Rather, it is a type of Baleful Metal Qi, yet also a [Dui Metal] spirit item. I once asked an old Daoist Master to examine it, and he said it was more exalted than ordinary Purple Mansion Realm spirit items."
"More exalted?"
The choice of words struck Li Ximing as rather odd, and he fell into thought. Sima Yuanli, however, frowned, only half convinced as he said, "To me, it resembles [Ever-Transcending Transformative Metal]... Though it carries a stronger aura of radiant brilliance."
"An impressive eye, Fellow Daoist Qinghu!" Guo Nanwu shook his head with a sigh and said, "One day, back when my family cultivated in the outer-sea, the great void trembled. A golden meteor fell from the heavens, and a long rainbow swept across the moon, stretching toward the horizon. The entire sky was thrown into chaos, shrouded in mist and confusion. Though my ancestor was gravely wounded, he had no choice but to reveal himself.
"However, he only saw several streaks of golden light plunge into the sea. Being the closest, he quietly retrieved one of them. After studying it time and again, he too concluded that it was [Ever-Transcending Transformative Metal].
"Later, the old Daoist Master Diyan came to my family's aid. When I was preparing to break through to the Purple Mansion Realm, I offered this spirit item in gratitude. He accepted the [Subtle Guard Merging Fire] in exchange for the [Three Sects Glorious Yang Stone], but he returned the [Ever-Transcending Transformative Metal] to me."
A complicated expression crossed Guo Nanwu's face as he continued, "The old Daoist Master said it was [Metal from ages past, bestowed by White Lightning]. He absolutely refused to accept it and warned us never to let it come into contact with any other Dui Metal. If it did, it would undergo a change. So it has remained in our family's possession ever since.
"After I attained divine ability, I visited the old Daoist Master at his mountain gate and asked him about it again. Yet he remained tight-lipped. I also consulted several mystics, who only said that it possessed an added measure of the power of the Supreme Yang. To be honest, I had always been curious about it, but after searching through everything my clan possesses, this is the only item worthy of presenting!"
Li Ximing examined it carefully. As his divine ability resonated with the item, he nodded and said, "It truly possesses the power of the first manifestation."
It also gave Li Ximing something to think about. His Imperial Divergence Light, condensed within the Juque Court, relied primarily upon Supreme Yang, thunder, and baleful light. This item contained the power of Supreme Yang while also embodying Baleful Metal Qi. Even if he could not sell it immediately after acquiring it, it could still be used to cultivate his arts. It would undoubtedly prove quite useful.
He had no intention of keeping it for himself. Rather, he was considering it for Li Zhouwei, as it would further enhance his arts. Otherwise, he truly had little interest in acquiring a [Dui Metal] item!
Guo Nanwu nodded repeatedly, while Li Ximing raised a brow and said, "This item is indeed precious, but the [Heavenly Rite Brilliance] formation plate is built upon [White Brilliance Distant Metal] and inscribed with [Everlasting Brightstar], both of which are exceptional Purple Mansion Realm spirit items. Valuable though this single piece of Dui Metal may be, I'm afraid it alone cannot match their worth."
Guo Nanwu pondered for a long while. He opened his mouth, intending to offer a cultivation technique, but the only ones he had concerned his family's ancestral legacy. Since he had not discussed it with the clan back on the island, it was not something he could casually bring out.
Kuangyu, however, raised an eyebrow and smiled. "There's more to it than that. To construct a formation of this scale, you'll inevitably need an enormous amount of spirit materials from the mainland. Besides, resources related to the [Upper Rite] Dao are exceptionally rare to begin with. Since Fellow Daoist Minghuang captured Changxiao Gate, there are bound to be quite a few of these materials among the spoils!"
Guo Nanwu clearly trusted her greatly. After a moment's thought, he nodded, and Kuangyu continued gently, "How about this? I've worked out the timeline. The Guo Family has never had many people, and even if they devote themselves entirely to building the formation, it will still take ten to twenty years. It's a very long-term undertaking..."
She turned to Li Ximing and said amicably, "Why not let him take the [Eight-Direction Court Nurturing Spirit Formation] first and establish the Guo Family's island in the Southern Sea? On your side, Fellow Daoist Zhaojing, you also need someone in the outer-sea to lend a hand and take care of various matters.
“The Li Family can provide some basic spirit items over the next twenty or thirty years, while Nanwu can handle errands for Moongaze Lake in the Southern Sea. Whenever something falls within his abilities and has nothing to do with the conflict between north and south, he can lend a hand from time to time. It would simply be neighbors helping one another."
Kuangyu smiled and added, "As for everything else, there's no need to worry. Once the grand formation is complete, if Nanwu truly hasn't been troubled much over these thirty years, then we can simply add another spirit material or two depending on the situation."
Her expression turned serious. "With both Mount Qusi and myself acting as guarantors, there will at least be some assurance. And if that still isn't enough, then we'll have no choice but to offer a few cultivation techniques to make up the difference..."
The proposal was completely unexpected. Li Ximing turned toward her in surprise, his thoughts already racing, That could work...
The matter of Qingyan had yet to be resolved, and Li Ximing still maintained contact with several Demon Kings in Poluoduo. There were plenty of pills and spirit materials that could be traded between them, but such items were hardly suitable for low-level cultivators to transport. Since he himself could not leave, he could only remain on the mountain, accomplishing nothing...
Whether it was trading with Southern Shun Raksha or meeting that person in Yinzhou, those were all matters he should have handled personally. Yet too many threats loomed over him, while Moongaze Lake also required his protection... He simply could not leave when he wished. Liu Changdie had finally become available, but he had been assigned to garrison Qunyi instead! These affairs had piled up for so long that when Li Zhouwei finally made a trip outside, he ended up running all these errands himself.
If there were someone like him, all we'd need to maintain publicly is a friendly relationship. He could stop by from time to time or even correspond by letter. Naturally, I wouldn't entrust him with anything too valuable or confidential, but ordinary pills, spirit materials, and similar matters could all be handled through him. That would be immensely convenient...
As for the extra spirit materials Kuangyu had mentioned, Li Ximing had no desire for them. He also understood that she sincerely hoped the cultivators of Yue State would grow closer to her own faction. But what truly stirred his heart was something else entirely!
By now, both Li Jiangqian and Li Quewan had a genuine chance of reaching the Purple Mansion Realm. When that time came, another matter of critical importance would arise— the green talismans!
When the time comes, if we can find a backgroundless demonic creature in the outer-sea and pool everyone's strength... it just might be possible. Even if such a demonic creature proves difficult to find, having another Purple Mansion Realm combatant is always a good thing.
The only pity is that the Southern Sea doesn't offer my family much in the way of benefits... However, it also wouldn't be right to drag them into the conflict between the north and the south.
After thinking it over repeatedly, he abandoned any thought of asking for the Guo Family's cultivation techniques and instead smiled. "We can simply treat this as the beginning of a lasting friendship. Since we've agreed on thirty years, we'll be friends from now on. There's no need to calculate everything so rigidly, much less ask you to compensate us with additional spirit materials!"
"Well..." Guo Nanwu froze for a moment, looking somewhat uneasy. He quickly returned the salute. "Senior Zhaojing..."
Li Ximing shook his head, rose with a smile, and replied, "There's no need to stand on such ceremony!"
He picked up the formation plate, placed it into Guo Nanwu's hands, and said with a smile, "Since everything has been settled, let's not keep Fellow Daoist Qinghu waiting any longer. Please make the trip as soon as possible!"
Though the formation plate felt cool to the touch, Guo Nanwu held it as though it were a warm and precious treasure.
He let out a long sigh of relief. "I will never forget this kindness!"
He looked toward Kuangyu again and paused in surprise. She had quietly moved to Li Ximing's side.
Smiling warmly, she said, "Congratulations! Fellow Daoist Zhaojing and I still have a few matters to discuss, so I won't be accompanying you back. Fairy Ning is at New Rain Scattered Reefs. Just go straight to her!"