Demon Nest

The main branch of the Clear Mist Sect is located on a quiet mountain.

In the thatched cottage, a few cups of tea, with a beautiful woman adding fragrance.

On the table, a few words were exchanged, and heroes chatted with amusement.

The Green Mountain Kingdom Lord put away his paper and pen and said with a smile, "Truly, heroes emerge from among the young. When I was at the ninth rank, I was trembling with fear when I met someone at the eighth rank, not daring to say a word. But you, Li Qi, can face me with composure and even dare to fight against Jin Chi. If this courage were to spread, I wonder how many young heroes would admire it."

Li Qi was embarrassed. He wiped his forehead, picked up his water cup, and took a tactical sip. "Your Majesty is too kind. I was merely acting as an envoy, moving between the lines for a while. The real danger was withstood by Your Majesty. What is there for me to boast about?"

"You're too modest." The Green Mountain Kingdom Lord was quite generous and didn't have any arrogant attitude. "I've told several of my friends about your deeds, and they were all amazed. You know, an ordinary ninth-rank official would probably be terrified and die just from seeing us fight. Yet you were able to execute Jin Buhuan. That's no ordinary thing."

This is indeed true; Li Qi himself has experienced it firsthand.

Before he reached the highest level in Shaman Path, he witnessed the battle between the Bear Kill King and the Curse Demon King. He almost died just from feeling the killing intent emanating from the other party.

That trace of killing intent had no energy whatsoever; it was purely an aura. But even this aura almost scared Li Qi to death. It was only because of his strong will and his willingness to tear apart his own soul in a semi-suicidal manner that he barely managed to hold on.

The difference is enormous.

However, after seeing this kind of thing so many times, one can actually develop a resistance to it. Li Qi was too lucky, too born into a good family, and had seen too many grand occasions, so he was somewhat used to it...

But he couldn't say too much about these things, so he simply replied, "I've always been a bit slow-witted and not very sensitive to things like murderous intent, which has given me a lot of advantages in that regard."

Upon hearing this, the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord laughed, but after laughing, he said, "You could call this a special talent. But let's not talk about that. The main reason I called you here is that I want to talk to you face to face and give you the reward you want."

With that, he waved his hand and instructed the beautiful concubine beside him, "Xian'er, heal Li Qi's injuries. He can't enjoy his tea properly while he's injured!"

Upon receiving the order, Hu Xian'er immediately nodded, then stepped forward and extended her hand in invitation. "Mr. Li, please extend your hand so that I may examine you."

"Then I'll trouble you, senior," Li Qi said politely, without putting on any airs of a genius.

I don't deserve it at all.

Just because someone gives you a boost doesn't mean you have the right to look down on them.

He understands this basic principle.

He reached out his hand, and Hu Xian'er took it.

As he held her hand, Li Qi felt the smooth, fragrant hot spring water, her soft, sweet skin, and her delicate, snowy body.

He felt that this place was constantly testing his Dao heart...

However, this feeling did not last long. After placing his hand on the other person, he suddenly felt a flame ignite within him.

It wasn't something like lust, but rather a sudden replenishment of a large amount of Yang Energy to the five internal organs that were deficient in yin and cold.

The body's yin and yang energies are restored, and the previous weakness and overwork are cleverly compensated for.

Is Hu Xian'er... performing surgery on herself?

It's not simply about replenishing Yang Energy; that kind of method is too crude. It might make Li Qi feel better in the short term, but it's like a broken water vessel—no matter how much water you pour in, it will only leak out.

Shen Shuibi chose to slowly replenish Li Qi's body through food. She had Piaoxu feed Li Qi large amounts of aphrodisiac foods, while she herself refined pills to replenish his Yang Energy and repair his body, allowing Li Qi's body to slowly heal itself and for his body to grow back on its own.

This approach has no side effects and is also suitable for Shen Shuibi's current energy levels.

Hu Xian'er, on the other hand, used a more direct method. She completely disregarded her own consumption and energy and directly performed a surgery inside Li Qi's body.

Li Qi felt countless tiny energies flowing through his body; some were needles, some were threads, and some were knives.

His organs, muscles, and bones were removed where they were completely damaged, and repaired where they could still be saved.

Threading the needle, taking the lead, cutting, sewing, but without feeling any pain.

Li Qi had a strange feeling.

He suddenly understood Hu Xian'er's methods.

Is this... a molecular-level surgery?

It's as if a bunch of nanobots are repairing wounds inside the body, even repairing the microcosm within the body.

Such methods are simply miraculous!

As the surgery progressed, Hu Xian'er's expression gradually became serious, and she even began to sweat and her body trembled slightly.

It's clear that performing precise operations at the molecular level is a significant burden for her.

After about fifteen minutes, Hu Xian'er breathed a sigh of relief, "I have done my mission well... Sir's injuries have mostly healed."

Li Qi stretched out his legs.

Yes, it's all better now.

The entire body has been restored to its original state. All injuries, including hidden ones, have been healed. Broken bones and tendons have been stitched back together, and the gaps in the body's internal structure have been filled.

"Thank you, senior!" Li Qi respectfully.

The injury, which would normally require months of slow healing, was completely repaired in just a quarter of an hour. No wonder it's a seventh-rank weapon!

"Sir, there's no need for that. This is what I should do." Hu Xian'er dared not accept the courtesy, stepped aside, and then retreated to the side of the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord.

"Alright, your injuries have almost healed now. Here is the reward you requested. Take it and keep it safe; it's a bit too valuable for a ninth-rank official," the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord said with a smile, then handed over a small bottle.

The bottle is a porcelain bottle, and it doesn't look particularly special.

Li Qi accepted the porcelain bottle. "Thank you, Your Majesty. If I were to search for this item myself, I don't know how long it would take."

"It's alright. You helped me drive out the Jin family's forces, which saved me a lot of time." The Green Mountain Kingdom Lord waved his hand.

He asked, "However, Li Qi, now that your injuries have healed, you probably won't be staying in Clear Mist City for long. Have you thought about where you're going next?"

"The young man will likely continue heading southwest, but he doesn't have a specific destination in mind, since he's just traveling and hasn't set any particular goals," Li Qi replied.

This isn't exactly a lie; he didn't really have a specific goal. As long as the direction was southwest, he just went with his gut feeling.

"Then I can point out a fortuitous opportunity for you, but I don't know if you believe me?" the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord said with a smile.

"How could I not believe you? The king has treated me with great kindness. If I cannot even trust the king, who else can I trust?" Li Qi quickly replied.

"Then you can listen to me. If you go southwest for about 40,000 li, you will find a demon's lair."

"The Demon Race there are different from the peaceful Demon Race in this area. The Demon Race gathered in the demon lair are extremely bloodthirsty. Almost all the surrounding kingdoms have migrated there. Afterwards, they strictly guard the borders, and major battles often break out."

"In that demon's lair, there is a fifth-rank demon named Sky Swallowing Demon Lord. He also has six sixth-rank demons under his command. They are six brothers, who are six different kinds of toads that absorbed the foul air of heaven to become demons, so they have the Six Afflictions Divine Abilities."

Li Qi nodded, listening attentively to the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord's narration, which likely contained information that would greatly benefit him.

Although the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord did not explain, he knew what the other party was talking about.

As the saying goes, there are Six Qi in the heavens: yin, yang, wind, rain, darkness, and light.

The Six Qi give rise to the five flavors, manifest as the five colors, are indicated by the five sounds, and when excessive, they give rise to the six diseases.

Excessive Yin Qi causes cold-related illnesses; excessive Yang Energy causes heat-related illnesses; excessive wind energy causes peripheral illnesses; excessive rain energy causes abdominal illnesses; excessive gloomy energy causes confusion-related illnesses; excessive bright energy causes heart-related illnesses. When these six illnesses are excessive, they lead to calamities.

These six sixth-rank Demon King likely used the negative and filthy energy born from the excessive accumulation of heavenly energy as the foundation of their cultivation.

The source of that fifth-grade Sky Swallowing Demon Lord's background is unknown, but Li Qi thinks the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord probably doesn't know either.

How can one casually reveal their spiritual foundation? This thing can be deadly.

If someone has caught you in a compromising situation, they can then calmly set up a countermeasure against you.

Wasn't that how Li Qi took down Jin Buhuan? After sparring with Jin Buhuan, Li Qi didn't reveal anything, but Jin Buhuan's background was completely exposed.

Jin Buhuan thought he had hidden himself well, but Li Qi's eyesight was better than his concealment skills. This directly led to the fact that in the subsequent one-on-one fight, even if he tried his best to activate two breaths of golden energy, he was still completely restrained by Li Qi.

Of course, this also depends on the level of knowledge, so it can't be generalized. Maybe even if you expose your weaknesses, your opponent won't know how to counter you, right?

After all, knowledge is precious. Not everyone is like Li Qi, with an encyclopedia at his disposal to memorize, or even a library at his disposal after returning to the mountain gate.

The knowledge that the old country Elder Si, which seemed so basic to Li Qi, was completely incomprehensible to him.

"Is there anything special about this demon's lair?" Li Qi asked curiously after listening to the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord's introduction.

The Green Mountain Kingdom Lord replied, "The demon's lair is nothing special, but because no one can control it, the surrounding area is not as orderly as it is along this route. Over there, demons run rampant, and righteous people often go to exterminate them, resulting in constant warfare."

Li Qi nodded, but he didn't know why the other person would recommend this place to him.

"I recently learned that the Sky Swallowing Demon Lord will be going to the outer realms for some fortuitous opportunity, leaving only the six toads at home to guard the place, so there will be a gap in the defense."

"That alone is nothing, but it just so happens that the Righteous Sword Palace is currently preparing to mobilize its elders to intercept and kill a sixth-rank toad in order to rectify the atmosphere and take revenge."

"In this back and forth, the Righteous Sword Palace may not be able to kill that toad, but it will inevitably cause a loophole in the Swallowing Heaven Demon Nest. It won't be of much use to me, but it will be of great use to you, Li Qi. You can take the opportunity to sneak in. There is a nascent Primordial Spirit treasure hidden in Bright Lake, which may be able to help you condense the Inner Gods."

Li Qi then understood the meaning of the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord and suddenly realized what he meant.

It turned out that the other person was pointing out a serendipitous encounter to him.

To the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord, this thing would be nothing more than trash that could be picked up at will, but to him, it would be a very precious object.

The world wasn't given to me; they just pointed out directions. They were very considerate.

"Thank you for telling me, Your Majesty. But may I ask, what are Righteous Sword Palace and Bright Lake?" Li Qi asked again, since he had never heard of these things before. They must be forces and place names within the Demon Nest.

"Bright Lake is a lake within the demon's lair, inhabited by Water Demon, but I imagine it won't be a problem for you," the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord explained. "As for the Righteous Sword Palace, it is a cultivation sect that is founded on martial arts. Its rules are upright, and its members are mostly chivalrous. The palace master Dao Accomplishment Sixth Rank, which is quite good. The Righteous Sword Palace previously interfered in the affairs of that demon's lair, and a Demon King intercepted and killed an elder of the Righteous Sword Palace. The Righteous Sword Palace was already dissatisfied with the existence of the demon's lair, and now it is directly hostile, joining forces with some surrounding kingdoms to frequently go to the demon's lair to kill demons and rescue people."

"This time, the Righteous Sword Palace also received news that the Sky Swallowing Demon Lord was about to go to the outer realm, so they prepared to mobilize all their forces to cut off one of his fingers. This is just your chance."

"It's pointless to say more about the specifics. You'd better go and see for yourself. You'll naturally learn a lot then. With your abilities, it shouldn't be difficult, right?" The Green Mountain Kingdom Lord winked at Li Qi.

It's clear that the king has great faith in Li Qi's ability to see the big picture from small details. After all, Li Qi is a newcomer who has only been here for less than two days, yet he has already seen through the situation in Clear Mist City at a glance and successfully utilized it. He even analyzed the relationships between dozens of forces and persuaded them to cooperate. Although he relied on the power of the Clear Mist Sect, he still managed to unite forces powerful enough to suppress Jin Buhuan by himself.

For Li Qi, with just a little guidance, gathering intelligence on his own over there should be a piece of cake.

"I see. Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty. I was just wondering how to condense my Primordial Spirit. I will never forget Your Majesty's kindness." Li Qi immediately stood up, expressed his gratitude solemnly, and emphasized that he would not forget.

Li Qi knew very well that he was nothing now, and the fact that the other party treated him so kindly was purely because they valued his potential. Therefore, remembering the kindness was the best response to the other party.

"Haha, consider this a reminder from an elder. Now that the matter is finished, I'll be leaving. You should still take some Cultivation Method back with you. You might as well take a stroll around. The demonic cultivation methods of the Clear Mist Sect aren't very profound, but they should be enough for beginners." The Green Mountain Kingdom Lord finished his tea, stood up with a smile, and prepared to leave.

Li Qi was already standing, watching the other person take a step and disappear from the spot, then turned around and bowed to Hu Xian'er Hu Meier: "Now that the main business is over, seniors, regarding the Cultivation Method..."

"Please follow me, sir. I will take you to the place where the scriptures are kept." Hu Meier replied immediately, and then invited Li Qi to go along the way.

Hu Xian'er watched the two leave.

Then, she sighed softly, waved her hand, and the tea set flew up automatically, then ran off to wash it and rearrange it.

Hu Xian'er then asked in a low voice into the void, "Master, why are you so concerned about a ninth-rank child?"