Chapter 407: Chapter 125 Liangzhou Province
If one were to describe Liangzhou Province with an idiom, it would be "surrounded by mountains, with interlocking ridges and peaks, deep valleys and high mountains," and within lay a great river, like a belt, with perilous barriers throughout.
Even when Great Zhou had established its dynasty, clearing mountains and fragmenting rocks to create several official roads and plank roads, the paths leading to Liangzhou remained difficult to traverse.
Moreover, with the Great Venerable establishing his teachings in the Wushan of Liangzhou and declaring that any demon, ghost, and monster that chanted his name could join his ranks, it led to an abundance of devil cultivators, ghost cultivators, and demon cultivators in Liangzhou. Even the rarest Monster Clan cultivators made frequent appearances—so one can imagine the state of affairs in Liangzhou.
Yong and Liangzhou were the two most unsettled regions in Great Zhou.
The former was frequently troubled by rebels, while the latter was the number one hiding place for all sorts of demons, ghosts, and monsters. It was this very region that Zhou Mingyun, the traitor whom Jiang Li had been pursuing, intended to enter to elude the chase of the Sect disciples.
It could be said that in Liangzhou, there could be demons, ghosts, and monsters lurking anywhere, and the more secluded the area, the more likely it was to be a nest for devil cultivators.
Take the current situation, for instance—
In the dense mountain forest, a large tiger with hanging eyes and a white forehead was swiftly moving its limbs, running desperately.
Spotted traces of blood could still be seen on its body, and the tiger’s head vividly showed a look of panic.
The torn clothes around its waist, however, revealed the identity of this large beast—a devil cultivator.
A devil cultivator in Demon Form.
As the devil cultivator sprinted frantically, he would occasionally twist his head to look backward, and upon seeing a red shadow streaking closer, he couldn’t help but curse, "Damn it, that dog is still chasing me."
Starting five days ago, near the border of Liangzhou close to other provinces, cultivators had frequently been found dead or injured, all of them belonging to the categories of demons, ghosts, and monsters.
It was said that a cultivator who specialized in killing these beings had appeared nearby, causing widespread panic.
But for the tiger demon, dying at the hands of demons, ghosts, and monsters was a daily occurrence in Liangzhou. It was not surprising when there was a large-scale incident of death and injury one day.
Other category cultivators fought for benefits and grievances, and it was rare for someone to kill only for the sake of killing. However, for demons, ghosts, and monsters, their beastly and demonic natures would grow continuously due to the influence of Dao Fruit, and their minds would gradually change, with many devil and demon cultivators going mad.
Not to mention, they had the method of advancing their Dao Fruit by consuming humans.
They would eat ordinary people, cultivators, and even other demons, ghosts, and monsters.
Conflict was the daily routine of most devil cultivators.
Then this tiger demon encountered trouble.
As it was feasting on human flesh and humming a tune, an evil dog attacked its home, easily killing the devil cultivators under its command and even chasing it for several miles.
Seeing the red shadow drawing closer, the tiger demon’s panic intensified. Gritting its teeth, it burned its Essence Blood and its fur began to seep with a bloody hue.
Its speed increased once more, and the tiger’s body turned into a blurred afterimage, stirring up a wild gust.
The sound of water rushing could be heard ahead as the forest was left behind, and the view suddenly opened up.
In the valley between two mountains, a turbulent flow churned wildly. The tiger demon burst out of the woods, its hind legs powering a fierce leap. Amid the howling wind, the cliff on the other side was rapidly approaching the tiger demon.
At the same time, it also spotted a figure sitting in a wheelchair on the cliff.
Clothed in white, with a simple green jade hairpin tucked into his hair, his long ink-black hair parted down the middle with strands outlining his pallor, his skin was translucent and emitted an almost divine presence.
Just by appearances, one could tell this person was no ordinary being.
If it were any other time, the tiger demon would certainly avoid someone with such looks to prevent trouble, but now it was mid-leap and had no way back. Even knowing the person was not ordinary, he had no choice but to collide.
"Get out of the way!"
He roared loudly, and the evil wind swept through, further igniting demon energy and burning Essence Blood in an attempt to force the other back.
And on the cliff ahead, an immense Qi Mechanism emerged, and in a flash, eight qi shot out like eight flood dragons rushing into the firmament, tracing profound trajectories as they simultaneously struck the tiger demon.
Primordial Qi transformed in myriad ways; with eight qi intersecting, countless changes proliferated instantaneously.
The tiger demon suddenly stiffened, like a stone statue, losing its vitality and plummeting from the sky only through inertia.
Its body dissipated like sand in the wind, turning to countless particles, and before hitting the ground, it had vanished, swept away by the wind into the water below.
"Eight qi intersect, Yiqi Turns into Ten Thousand Qi, one qi refines all things..." Jiang Li gently raised his hand, retracting those swirling strands of Primordial Qi, touching his fingertips together, he muttered softly, "It’s still far from enough."
It had been almost half a month since he began refining the Divine Farmer’s Cauldron. During this time, he had been studying the eight qi through the Cauldron, and had already comprehended the fundamental Wind, Wood, Fire, and Gold—each of the four qi, with the other four becoming increasingly profound.
Thus, Jiang Li began pondering the secret of the Cauldron’s Primordial Qi that refined all things.
However, such transformations were exceedingly profound; even with the blessings of various Dao Fruit, and being among the best in terms of comprehension and talent, it was difficult to fully grasp in just a half month’s time.
After countless trials with no less than a hundred consumables, the true essence still eluded capture.
It seemed as though the tiger demon had been refined, but in reality, it was more accurate to say that the demon was violently shaken into fine powder.
"We must continue," Jiang Li whispered.
A red shadow flashed across. In an instant, it traversed a considerable distance and appeared in front of Jiang Li’s feet, revealing the figure of a small red dog.
Its speed had increased tenfold compared to when it was pursuing the tiger demon.
Throughout this time, it was mostly Xiao Tian who went out to find consumables, either capturing or forcing them, so they could be offered up for Jiang Li to experiment with the Magic Door and Demonstrate the Dao Fruit.
Although his method of demonstrating Dao Fruit didn’t seem quite righteous...
"Good job, Xiao Tian."
Jiang Li bent down and smiled as he stroked the dog’s head.
Xiao Tian let out a pleased woof, wagging its tail incessantly as a look of pride glimmered in its crimson eyes.
Its many days of hunting had significantly enhanced its status in the eyes of its master. Could that Bull-headed Ghost do the same?
It was time to let this newcomer know who had the final say beneath Jiang Li.
However—
Before Xiao Tian’s joy could last for more than three breaths, a surge of Yin Qi swiftly approached.
The Bull-headed Ghost’s figure materialized within the Yin Qi; as soon as it appeared, it knelt on one knee with a thud and loudly said, "Reporting to the master, Xiao Niu has found Li Qinglian’s whereabouts."
Xiao Tian’s tail paused mid-swish.
It narrowed its crimson eyes and scornfully glanced at the Bull-headed Ghost, with traces of Disaster Qi threatening to burst forth.
The Bull-headed Ghost sensed this too, knowing all too well the petty nature of this dog. But what could he do? He couldn’t neglect his duties just to appease a dog, could he?
This was a task assigned directly by his master, and naturally, the quicker, the better.
"Found her? Lead the way," Jiang Li nodded.
Recently, Li Qinglian’s relentless search for famous families of the Sword Dao had raised an uproar.
Especially after someone had thrown the blame onto her, Li Qinglian’s reputation soared like oil in a burning flame, beyond control.
Killing the Fourth Prince, attempting to assassinate the Second Prince, defeating the fifth-rank Judge Cui Jue, besting Judge Zhong Wuqi—these feats piled upon her head, and her fame now overshadowed even Jiang Li.
With such fame came an intensely ferocious pursuit.
The Yin Law Department was hunting Li Qinglian relentlessly, demanding the return of the Book of Life and Death. From near Divine Capital to Yu State, they even forced Li Qinglian to retreat to Liangzhou Province, but the pursuit was relentless.
Despite King You presumably knowing that the Book of Life and Death wasn’t lost, the relentless chase perplexed Jiang Li.
While it could be an act, the situation didn’t seem staged at all.
However, this actually facilitated Jiang Li’s tracking.
Thanks to the Yin Law Department’s pursuit, Li Qinglian’s whereabouts were no longer as elusive as before. Even the Bull-headed Ghost, a defector of the Yin Law Department, could use the Yin Qi to determine Li Qinglian’s location.
’And such traces, the Daode Sect could also find.’
...
...
A perilous path wound around the mountain, with sheer cliffs on one side and a precipitous drop on the other. The mountain breeze stirred up dust, blinding the eyes, and at certain times, it could even assist in sending unwary travelers down the mountain.
A young Daoist with a long sword strapped to his back and a horsetail whisk in hand walked along the dangerous path. As he moved, his fingers manipulated the Qi Mechanism, leading strands of Yin Qi to guide his way.
"The denser the Yin Qi, the more certain it is that Senior Brother Li is in this direction," Zhang Daoyi murmured to himself.
Even though Li Qinglian had declared her independence, the Daode Sect couldn’t afford to neglect her. After all, she was an incarnation of the Sect Master. Whether opposing or protecting, the Daode Sect couldn’t allow her to fall into the hands of the Yin Law Department.
As Li Qinglian fled to Liangzhou Province, members of the Daode Sect naturally followed.
But—
"I had thought that one of the elders or venerable figures from the Daode Sect would take action; I did not expect to see you, Fellow Daoist."
The wheelchair slowly approached from the other side of the perilous path, with Jiang Li seated in it, smiling, "We meet again, Daoist Zhang, but I wonder, on this occasion, are we enemies or friends?"