“I am Li Mu, the Artifact Crafting Elder of Hundred Refinements Peak of Qingxuan Sect. You all must be Fellow Daoists from Yu Ling Sect, right?”
Li Mu smiled slightly, directly addressing the silver-haired Elder’s question, introducing himself and replying.
Qingxuan Sect, Elder Li?
The eight Nascent Soul True Lords looked at each other, seemingly asking each other who knew the details of this person.
Yu Ling Sect and Qingxuan Sect formed the Five Sect Alliance, with thousands of years of friendship. At the Realm of Nascent Soul True Lords, most were Elders of their respective Sects, and they had a hundred or even several hundred years of old friendship, being very familiar with each other. At the very least, they would have had the chance to meet.
However, the eyes of the eight Nascent Soul True Lords of Yu Ling Sect drifted, clearly, none of them recognized this Elder Li of Qingxuan Sect.
Where did this guy come from?
“So it’s a Fellow Daoist from Qingxuan Sect. A battle just occurred here? I wonder, Fellow Daoist, who were you fighting so fiercely with here? Could it be a Demonic Cultivator from Blood God Sect?” The silver-browed Elder looked at Li Mu, nodded, scanned the surroundings, and asked politely.
The Spirit Valley was a mess, with broken trees and huge pits, filled with violent Spiritual Qi. It was clear that a fierce battle had taken place. The corpse of a Nascent Soul Demon Lord was mangled beyond recognition. It was unknown how such destructive power was caused!
“Yes! People from Blood God Sect were setting up a Blood Formation here. Li happened to pass by and took care of them!” Li Mu smiled slightly, nodding in acknowledgment.
Upon hearing this, the eight Nascent Soul True Lords were immediately relieved; they had asked the right person.
“So that’s how it is. We received a Sect warning and were preparing to eliminate the people from Blood God Sect. Dao Friend Li, do you know who this Nascent Soul Demon Lord’s corpse belongs to?” The silver-browed Elder glanced at the unrecognizable Demonic Lord corpse on the ground, then looked at Li Mu and asked again.
“Li does not know, but I do know that this person was extremely difficult to deal with. He possessed Late Stage Nascent Soul cultivation and wielded a fifth-grade Demonic Sword that was full of demonic nature and quite formidable. He was the instigator of this Blood Sea Formation. As for his specific identity, Li is not aware.” Li Mu smiled slightly, explaining.
After hearing Li Mu’s introduction, the eight Nascent Soul True Lords couldn’t help but look at the ground, observing the Blood Sea Demonic Sword broken into two sections, and their spirits were instantly invigorated.
“A fifth-grade Blood Demonic Sword. If there’s no mistake, this corpse should be the Sect Master of Blood God Sect, Blood Refinement Demon Lord!”
“Blood Refinement Demon Lord is a Peak Nascent Soul cultivator, capable of advancing to Soul Transformation at any time! Dao Friend Li actually took him down?”
“This fifth-grade Blood Demonic Sword, I’ve experienced its power firsthand from Blood Refinement Demon Lord, it’s definitely him!”
“Dao Friend Li actually took down Blood Refinement Demon Lord by himself, truly impressive!”
...
The several Nascent Soul True Lords of Yu Ling Sect examined the broken sword and 殘 corpse on the battlefield, making various guesses and roughly identifying him. Their gazes towards Li Mu were filled with admiration.
Blood Refinement Demon Lord’s Demonic Technique was exquisite. Over hundreds of years, he had committed countless massacres, achieving an unparalleled demonic reputation. His cultivation had already reached Nascent Soul Perfection, and he could advance to Venerable Deity Transformation at any time, his renown was immense.
They, confronting Blood Refinement Demon Lord alone, had no confidence in winning. Moreover, he possessed a terrifying fifth-grade Demonic Sword, and combined with his strange blood techniques and exquisite swordsmanship, he was practically invincible among those of the same Realm.
The purpose of their eight Nascent Soul True Lords traveling together was to prevent Blood God Sect from producing another Soul Transformation expert, and they were prepared to kill him at all costs.
As a result, Blood Refinement Demon Lord was killed just like that, which was quite unexpected for them.
The several Nascent Soul True Lords of Yu Ling Sect were filled with both surprise and joy, their gazes towards Li Mu brimming with respect, wondering how he had managed it!
“Elder Li! The one you killed should be Blood Refinement Demon Lord. We were just about to deal with him together. Unexpectedly, he died at Elder Li’s hands, saving us a lot of trouble.” The silver-browed Elder’s face was filled with joy as he looked at Li Mu and introduced him with a smile.
“Oh!” Li Mu nodded understandingly, not taking it too much to heart. He had dealt with Absolute Heaven Demon Lord before, so a mere Nascent Soul Demon Lord was no trouble at all for him!
Seeing Li Mu’s indifferent attitude, the eight Nascent Soul True Lords of Yu Ling Sect exchanged glances, feeling puzzled.
This Blood Refinement Demon Lord was a Demonic Cultivator whose demonic reputation had been circulating for a long time! Moreover, he was the Sect Master of Blood God Sect. Shouldn’t one be a little happier after eliminating such a ‘celebrity’?
Just then, a red-haired, fire-robed Nascent Soul True Lord carefully scrutinized Li Mu from head to toe, his eyes lighting up as if he had suddenly made a great discovery.
“Dao Friend Li, are you, are you perhaps Li Jianxian, who defeated Absolute Heaven Demon Lord?” The red-haired True Lord stared intently at Li Mu, asking in surprise.
Upon hearing this, the other seven Nascent Soul True Lords were all invigorated.
“Li Jianxian, who forcefully underwent the Nine-Nine Nascent Soul Tribulation, foiled the Nine Demon Sect’s operation, and made Absolute Heaven Demon Lord abandon his body and flee?”
“…”
The Nascent Soul cultivators of Yu Ling Sect couldn’t help but get excited, questioning Li Mu one after another.
This person claimed to be from Qingxuan Sect, originated from Hundred Refinements Peak, was skilled in Artifact Refining, and his surname was Li. He could easily take down Blood Refinement Demon Lord alone… Various pieces of information converged, and this person had to be that ‘Li Jianxian’!
Qingxuan Sect had been besieged by Nine Demon Sect a few months ago. That Sect war was extremely brutal, almost leading to the destruction of the Sect.
At a critical moment, a Golden Core cultivator, after forcefully undergoing the Nine-Nine Nascent Soul Tribulation, while his Realm was not yet stable, single-handedly fought against Absolute Heaven Demon Lord, turning the tide.
Finally, with the assistance of Venerable Qingfeng, he unleashed the Myriad Sword Formation, destroying his Dharma Body and severely defeating Absolute Heaven Demon Lord, causing the Nine Demon Sect extremely heavy casualties and making their efforts come to naught.
As soon as this news spread, the world was shocked!
The prestige of ‘Li Jianxian’ also spread throughout Tianxing and to the other four major Sects.
All the information about this person almost perfectly matched!
The eight Nascent Soul True Lords of Yu Ling Sect looked at Li Mu with intense gazes.
“I am Liu Changzai, the Peak Master of Dragon Phoenix Peak of Yu Ling Sect. May I ask, Dao Friend Li, if you are indeed ‘Li Jianxian’ who defeated Absolute Heaven Demon Lord?” The leading silver-browed Elder looked at Li Mu and asked respectfully.
“The title ‘Li Jianxian’ is an overstatement! Li cannot bear it.” Meeting the gazes of the eight Nascent Soul True Lords, Li Mu smiled humbly, tacitly acknowledging his identity.
As soon as Li Mu finished speaking, the spirits of the eight Nascent Soul True Lords of Yu Ling Sect were all invigorated.
It really is him!
No wonder Blood Refinement Demon Lord also met his end here, haha! Everything makes sense now!
Currently, although the five major Sects have some competitive interests among themselves, when it comes to jointly developing the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range and dealing with the Nine Demon Sect, they are united against a common enemy and work together wholeheartedly.
“It truly is ‘Li Jianxian’, it’s a pleasure to meet you!”
Having confirmed Li Mu’s identity, Liu Changzai instantly became extremely respectful. The person before him was a Prodigy capable of leapfrogging to kill a Soul Transformation expert.
The seven Nascent Soul True Lords all surged forward, enthusiastically introducing themselves and befriending him.
“I am Yunhai True Lord of Tianling Peak of Yu Ling Sect. I have long heard of Fellow Daoist’s name and deeply admire you.”
“I am Heavenly Hong True Lord of Artifact Refining Peak of Yu Ling Sect. It is rare for Fellow Daoist to come here. We will fulfill our duties as hosts and invite Fellow Daoist to our Peak to taste my self-brewed wine.”
...
As the other seven True Lords introduced themselves, Li Mu nodded in response.
Li Mu looked with surprise at a male Cultivator in his fifties, wearing a dark blue robe, with an ink-black coiled dragon pattern belt around his waist, deep eyes, and a slightly plump figure. He hadn't expected to meet Heavenly Hong True Lord here!
At this moment, Heavenly Hong True Lord was looking at him enthusiastically. Li Mu quickly cupped his hands and smiled in response: “Li also enjoys fine wine. Since Fellow Daoist Tianhong has self-brewed spiritual wine, I won’t be polite.”
‘Li Jianxian’s’ enthusiastic response made Heavenly Hong True Lord very happy.
As fellow Artifact Refiners, they naturally had more topics to discuss. It would be best if they could become friends with this person!
After a round of enthusiastic pleasantries, Liu Changzai invited Li Mu to be a guest at Yu Ling Sect.
Li Mu nodded gladly, going with the flow, and followed them as they flew towards Yu Ling Sect.
During this time, Li Mu consciously exchanged Artifact Refining insights with Heavenly Hong True Lord, subtly establishing a bit of friendship, preparing to obtain Heavenly Fire from Heavenly Hong True Lord later.
Li Mu flew on his sword, while the other True Lords led the way using their respective Magic Treasures.
Li Mu had a slight understanding of Yu Ling Sect’s situation.
Yu Ling Sect has a longer history than Qingxuan Sect, having been established over eight thousand years ago by Lei Yu Shangren, a Body Integration Stage Cultivator. He possessed a top-grade lightning-attribute unusual Spiritual Root and extraordinary combat power.
He founded Yu Ling Sect in an Immortal Realm blessed land with over a dozen top-grade Spiritual Veins, and it has been passed down to this day, which is quite remarkable!
After more than eight thousand years, Yu Ling Sect now boasts three Soul Transformation Cultivators and over thirty Nascent Soul True Lords. Its high-end combat power is superior to Qingxuan Sect’s. However, Yu Ling Sect’s cultivation quantity and quality of mid-to-low-tier Cultivators are inferior to Qingxuan Sect’s, gradually showing signs of decline.
This is probably why the Nine Demon Sect, failing to attack Qingxuan Sect, turned to deal with Yu Ling Sect instead!
The nine Nascent Soul True Lords flew extremely fast. In less than an hour, they flew into the headquarters of Yu Ling Sect.
Soon, Li Mu’s gaze was drawn to a massive stone tablet, tens of thousands of feet tall, standing at the Peak of a mountain, piercing through the clouds.
The thousand-zhang stone tablet, like a sword between heaven and earth, was filled with an incredible Divine Power, standing majestically on the Peak, grand in Aura and shocking to the soul.
The three large characters for Yu Ling Sect were carved onto the stone tablet.
The three large characters were clearly carved by Lei Yu Shangren himself. When gazing upon them, one could feel a mysterious power contained within them.
Just by staring for a few more moments, Li Mu felt the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth suddenly change. What was originally a clear sky suddenly became covered with dense thunderclouds, and rolling brown-red Heavenly Thunder pulsed within the clouds.
Mountains and rivers cracked, and rolling lava erupted, eroding the earth.
A scene of doomsday enveloped the entire continent, causing despair and helplessness to surge in one’s heart, and one’s mind to fall into the illusion.
Illusion!
Li Mu felt the abnormality of his Divine Soul. The Star Cloud Contemplation Method automatically operated, and in an instant, he broke free from the illusion.
“Dao Friend Li, your Divine Soul is truly powerful! I didn’t expect you to break free from the Thunder Spirit Illusion so quickly.” Seeing this, Liu Chang, who was beside him, quickly praised with admiration.
“This must be the work of Yu Ling Sect’s founding Ancestral Master, right?”
Li Mu looked at the stone tablet warily and asked curiously.
“Indeed. Cultivators below the Nascent Soul Realm see nothing unusual about this tablet. Cultivators who have formed a Nascent Soul and whose Divine Sense has transformed into Divine Thought, when they look at this Doomsday Thunder Tablet, they can perceive some of its Profound Truths. If they become slightly engrossed, they will be pulled into an illusion.”
“Back then, it took me three hours to break free from the Doomsday Illusion. I never thought you could see through the Doomsday Illusion of this tablet within a hundred breaths. Dao Friend Li, you truly are a Prodigy!” Liu Changzai looked at Li Mu, exclaiming with envy.
Comparing oneself to others can be infuriating!
Having witnessed the powerful Divine Thought of this Dao Friend Li, Liu Changzai could only sincerely concede.
Li Mu pouted, knowing the tombstone was strange but not warning him, clearly wanting to test him and make him suffer a silent loss.
This guy really has a strong desire to win!
“Dao Friend Li, please don’t misunderstand. This Doomsday Illusion has some benefits for the refinement of the Divine Soul. It’s just a pity that Fellow Daoist broke free from the illusion too quickly, so you might not be able to obtain this benefit!” Seeing the unusual expression on Li Mu’s face, Liu Changzai quickly explained.
Li Mu nodded, his gaze fixed on the towering stone tablet. Under the Talent Divine Power - Identify Myriad Spirits, all the information of the gigantic stone tablet was presented in a virtual character box.
【Thunder Suppressing Tablet】
【Grade: One of the Sixth-Grade Formation Artifacts】
【Attributes: World-Destroying Thunder, Doomsday Thunder Domain, Power of Myriad Thunders, Imprisoning Heaven and Earth】
【Status: Incomplete Artifact Formation, Artifact Spirit Self-Sealed, in deep slumber】
【One of the sixth-grade Formation Artifacts refined with sixth-grade Purple Gold Thunder Essence, Illusion Realm Stone, Azure Thunder Spirit Marrow, and the Purple Flame Heavenly Thunder Fire secret technique. Together with the Purple Thunder Spirit Hammer and the Thunder Essence Formation Plate, it can form a complete sixth-grade Formation Artifact, capable of forming the sixth-grade Purple Sky Myriad Thunder Formation.】
After reading all the attributes of the colossal stone tablet, Li Mu’s heart stirred, and he couldn’t help but deeply admire Lei Yu Shangren, the founding Ancestral Master of Yu Ling Sect.
As expected, he was the founding Cultivator rumored to have advanced to the Mahayana Realm and Ascended to the Immortal Realm! He actually left behind a set of sixth-grade Formation Artifacts to serve as the Sect’s foundation. His methods were heaven-defying, truly impressive!
“Dao Friend Li, isn’t this Thunder Suppressing Tablet magnificent! It’s one of the most treasured possessions of our Yu Ling Sect!” Liu Changzai looked at Li Mu, who was lost in thought while observing the Thunder Suppressing Tablet, and introduced it with a smile.
“Indeed! Yu Ling Sect is truly much stronger than our Qingxuan Sect!” Li Mu smiled and nodded, responding humbly.
Currently, Li Mu has not completely left Qingxuan Sect, so it is appropriate for him to refer to himself as being from Qingxuan Sect. If Venerable Qingfeng heard Li Mu’s words, he might even jump up with joy.
“Haha! Dao Friend Li, please, this way. Once we pass the Thunder Suppressing Tablet, we’ll be roughly in the heartland of our Sect!” Liu Changzai laughed heartily, made an inviting gesture, and extended a warm invitation.
Li Mu nodded, flying on his sword to follow Liu Changzai. Under his guidance, they passed through Yu Ling Sect’s Sect Protecting Formation.
Soon, Li Mu’s eyes saw a Sect landscape completely different from Qingxuan Sect’s.
Most of Yu Ling Sect’s headquarters buildings floated within the clouds, surrounded by swirling spiritual mist, with occasional flashes of lightning. Spirit Beasts flew within the mist, and many Yu Ling Sect Disciples, unafraid of the lightning in the thunderclouds, stepped on Spiritual Artifacts, rode flying Spirit Beasts, and their figures shuttled through the spiritual mist and clouds.
The Spiritual Qi in the heartland of Yu Ling Sect was extremely dense, dozens of times richer than outside the Sect Protecting Formation.
Towering spiritual mountains disappeared into the dense spiritual mist, and coupled with a large number of floating buildings, Li Mu couldn’t tell how many of these aerial structures were suspended in the thunderclouds without releasing his Divine Thought.