"A Supreme-Grade Spiritual Treasure..."
As he watched the people from the Great Chu Dynasty leave, he withdrew his gaze and looked at the object in his hand.
At this moment, lying quietly in his palm was a chariot entirely golden in color. The chariot was no more than three inches long and was pulled by a black jade qilin, exuding an aura of nobility.
This flying Spiritual Treasure was far superior to Li Xun’s Royal Spirit Boat.
Once spiritual energy was injected into the black jade qilin, it would fully awaken and even possess an offensive capability, making it both an offensive and defensive artifact.
‘I still have a purple-level Spiritual Treasure Advancement Talisman. If I use it, I can obtain a Supreme-Grade Dao Weapon.’
Li Xun sighed slightly in his heart.
He had already decided to use the Advancement Talisman on the Azure Dragon Halberd first. As for this golden divine chariot, it would have to wait for now.
If he obtained another Advancement Talisman later, he could use it then.
At this moment, a gentle voice called out.
Ji Hong, accompanied by a group of attendants, approached through the air. With a solemn expression, he said, "Daoist Li, you are being too reckless. Why did you agree to that man’s invitation?"
"The Great Chu Emperor is ruthless and cold. He once issued a single decree that wiped out hundreds of thousands of monks from the Great Bright Monastery. And now, you have heavily injured their Champion Marquis. If you go to the Great Chu Dynasty, wouldn’t that be like a sheep walking into a tiger’s den?"
Earlier, when Li Xun refused the title of Marquis, Ji Hong had felt relieved.
However, when he heard Li Xun agree to go to the Great Chu Dynasty, he immediately tensed up.
He was very worried that Li Xun would pledge allegiance to the Great Chu Dynasty.
Even more concerning was the possibility that Li Xun might perish within their territory.
If Li Xun were to fall, it would be a significant blow to the Great Zhou.
After all, a Divine Physique was not something that could be easily born.
Since the establishment of the Great Zhou Empire, not a single Divine Physique had emerged within its borders.
Li Xun was the first, and Ji Hong did not want to see him perish so easily.
"Daoist Ji, there’s no need to worry. I have my own plans."
Li Xun smiled as he spoke.
Since the other party addressed him as "Daoist," it implied a relationship of equals.
Li Xun did not deliberately distance himself; making a friend out of the future heir of the Great Zhou Empire could bring him many benefits.
"If you have a plan, that’s naturally the best. But the Great Chu Emperor is not someone easy to deal with, and..."
Ji Hong hesitated for a moment before continuing, "There is also Duke Yang in the Great Chu Dynasty. A hundred years ago, this man was able to slaughter a Half-Saint. You must be cautious around him."
He had already heard of this man’s reputation from Elder Chen.
To be able to slay a Half-Saint while only at the peak of the Divine Palace Realm showed how formidable he was.
After all, a Half-Saint was someone on the verge of transcending their tribulation to become a Saint.
If not handled properly, both combatants could end up dragged into the tribulation, and in that case, both might perish.
After all, the tribulation for attaining Sainthood was vastly different from ordinary Life and Death tribulations. They could not even be compared.
"Thank you for the reminder, Daoist Ji."
Although Li Xun already knew about it, he still expressed his gratitude for Ji Hong’s kind warning.
"As fellow cultivators within the Great Zhou, we must support each other in the face of external threats."
After chatting a bit more, Ji Hong left behind a bottle of pills and took his leave.
Li Xun swept his spiritual sense over the jade bottle.
Inside were spirit pills meant for cultivators at the Life and Death Realm, useful for stabilizing one's cultivation.
They were highly valuable.
After Ji Hong left, the other sect members quickly gathered around.
Each of them had come specifically to congratulate Li Xun, and many even presented gifts, clearly intending to establish a good relationship with him.
Li Xun is a prodigy who had survived the nine lightning calamities tribulation and reached the Life and Death Realm—if they didn’t befriend Li Xun now, they feared they wouldn’t even have a chance to introduce themselves in the future.
About half an hour later, the Third Princess also sent a congratulatory gift. However, she did not come in person, saying that she was still recovering from her injuries. The messenger she sent specifically conveyed her apology.
Li Xun had no intention of rejecting the gifts that came to him—he accepted everything without hesitation.
It wasn’t until his hands grew sore from receiving so many gifts that the crowd finally began to disperse.
"I was too careless," Li Xun sighed.
The place where he had transcended his tribulation was in Yunzhou territory.
Most of the people who had come here initially were after Fa Zhao’s bounty, meaning they didn’t bring many valuable items with them. Naturally, the gifts they presented were quite ordinary.
If he had transcended his tribulation near the Profound Sun Sect, those who came to congratulate him would have put much more thought into their gifts.
In that case, the value of the congratulatory gifts would have likely been more than double what he received now.
Half a quarter of a hour later
Li Xun returned to Blackstone City.
He casually found an inn, booked an upper-class room, and sat cross-legged on the bed after entering.
"System, claim the reward!"
As soon as he spoke, a dozen or so items materialized before him.
Among them, he ignored the less valuable ones. This time, there were only three rewards that truly caught his attention.
A Spiritual Treasure Advancement Talisman, a Substitute Death Puppet, and a Hun Tian Pill.
Each of these items was immensely valuable. If they were revealed to the outside world, they would undoubtedly incite chaos and bloodshed.
There was no need to elaborate on the significance of the Advancement Talisman and the Hun Tian Pill. As for the Substitute Death Puppet, it was one of the key reasons why he dared to enter the Great Chu Dynasty.
Its primary function was to substitute his death once!
"I hope I won’t have to use it."
Li Xun muttered softly.
He stored away the Substitute Death Puppet and the Hun Tian Pill, then turned his gaze to the Spiritual Treasure Advancement Talisman with intense anticipation.
Li Xun grasped at the air, and the Azure Dragon Halberd materialized in his hand.
He guided the Spiritual Treasure Advancement Talisman to gently press against the weapon.
The moment the two made contact, a dazzling light erupted from the Azure Dragon Halberd. A wave of indescribable energy surged forth, instantly enveloping the entire Blackstone City and continuing to radiate outward in an unstoppable tide.
A dragon’s roar echoed.
It was as if a true Azure Dragon had been reborn, its dragon’s might becoming tangible, shaking the land for hundreds of miles, causing deep tremors and rolling thunder.
"So this is a Supreme-Grade Dao Weapon?"
Li Xun lightly brushed the surface of the halberd.
The Azure Dragon Halberd quickly calmed down, but its pitch-black shaft seemed to hold the power to split heaven and earth apart.
If he fully unleashed its might, the entire Blackstone City could be reduced to ruins in an instant.
"With this Azure Dragon Halberd at its current level, my ability to protect myself in the Great Chu Dynasty has greatly increased!"
Li Xun’s eyes were deep and sharp as he gazed at the weapon in his hand, feeling a newfound sense of security.
Next, he began sorting through the congratulatory gifts he had received.
The gifts contained all sorts of items, but not many were immediately useful to him.
However, when he came across a large pile of centuries-old spiritual herbs, he fell into deep thought.
If he remembered correctly, these herbs had been given to him by Jiang Taixuan.
Jiang Taixuan had only been cultivating for about half a year—his time was even shorter than Li Xun’s.
Where did he get so many high-quality spiritual herbs?
Moreover, all the herbs seemed to be of nearly the same age, as if they had been planted and grown together.
Could it be that Jiang Taixuan had secretly raided someone’s medicinal garden?
Li Xun chuckled softly and muttered,
"Or perhaps... this is Jiang Taixuan’s golden finger?"
"If these herbs matured quickly because of his golden finger, then his ability is truly heaven-defying."
"It’s either an ability to rapidly accelerate the growth of spiritual herbs..."
"It’s that, or his golden finger involves the Laws of Time itself!"