After cultivating to the Profound Immortal realm, Li Yunjing's strength had increased tremendously. He was more than ten times stronger than before, and the next realm—the crucial Golden Immortal realm—was within reach.
Once he reached the Golden Immortal realm, he would be considered one of the pillars of this age. Among the Witch Race and the demon race, he could become a Great Witch or a general commanding troops, no longer an insignificant nobody.
At Mount Buzhou, Li Yunjing had searched for five hundred years. Along the way, he had acquired many rare treasures, and had even obtained a low-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Nine Heavens Divine Sword. When this sword was swung, the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder came crashing down with limitless power, making it a formidable Killing Treasure.
Unfortunately, no matter how Li Yunjing searched, he still could not find the Gourd Root. After five hundred years of searching and another five hundred years spent traveling, he had wasted a thousand years and still found nothing. His opportunity had yet to arrive, and it could not be forced. This left Li Yunjing rather disheartened.
Over the years, Li Yunjing had lived at Mount Buzhou for five hundred years and fought with living beings from all sides. His name had gradually spread throughout the mountainside of Mount Buzhou.
Within tens of millions of li, many living beings knew that such a figure had appeared nearby.
One day, a demon expert whom Li Yunjing had befriended, Golden-Winged Roc, found him. This Golden-Winged Roc was a demon expert he had met through fighting. He had never joined the Heavenly Court, instead living alone, free and at ease.
"Li Yunjing, Grandpa Roc's cultivation has greatly improved. Come, let's have another bout!"
The enormous Golden-Winged Roc spread its wings, covering more than a dozen li in every direction. This Golden-Winged Roc claimed that it possessed the bloodline of the Golden-Winged Great Peng. Li Yunjing did not know whether that was true, but its peak Profound Immortal battle prowess was certainly genuine.
"You bastard! I was refining pills! Because of your interruption, you ruined an entire batch of excellent pills for nothing!"
A small valley three or four li across, with two or three stone houses, was Li Yunjing's "cave abode" on Mount Buzhou. Mount Buzhou was rich in Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, so when he had nothing else to do, Li Yunjing began studying Pill Refining. After all, the thing cost him nothing, so he could tinker with it as he pleased.
Over the years, although Li Yunjing had no powerful inheritance, he had genuinely managed to figure out a few things. He used several new pills he did not dare take himself to experiment on some minor demons.
There was no need to mention the unlucky ones who had died on the spot. Some minor demons benefited from them, and Li Yunjing's reputation as a "Pill Refining Master" gradually spread. Demons who were not skilled at Pill Refining all came knocking at his door. After going back and forth, Golden-Winged Roc and the others became Li Yunjing's "fellow cultivators."
Among these demons, Golden-Winged Roc was the most warlike. Not only did he seek pills, but every few days he also had to spar with Li Yunjing. After spending so much time together, the two became familiar, and Li Yunjing did not dislike his straightforward nature.
"Hahaha! If you ruined it, just refine another batch! There's plenty of spirit grass here!" Golden-Winged Roc circled once through the air. Then his form shifted, and his enormous true body vanished. A young man in splendid clothes appeared inside Li Yunjing's stone house.
"Weren't you here to spar with me? What are you doing inside?" Li Yunjing looked at the pretty-faced young man before him with an annoyed expression.
"Let's drink tea first! Bring out your spirit tea! We'll fight after we finish!" Golden-Winged Roc did not stand on ceremony. He picked up the cup and teapot on the stone table and ordered Li Yunjing to brew the tea.
"You really have no manners!"
Ever since Golden-Winged Roc had happened to taste the Enlightenment Spirit Tea from Mount Wuyi, he had realized what a good thing it was. Every time he came, he wanted to savor it.
Golden-Winged Roc did not take it for free, either. As a native of Mount Buzhou, he often sent Li Yunjing good things from the mountain. Li Yunjing was not stingy, and although the Enlightenment Spirit Tea was precious, he possessed a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root. He was not afraid of anyone drinking him dry.
Li Yunjing skillfully brewed the spirit tea and poured a cup for Golden-Winged Roc before asking, "You didn't come here specifically to fight, did you? What's the matter?"
"You're truly crafty! You guessed my purpose at once. I found a great place! Unfortunately, a natural restriction outside is blocking me. I tried everything I could, but I still couldn't enter, so I had to find you. We'll work together. If we open the restriction, we'll split the benefits evenly!"
Golden-Winged Roc held his teacup and slowly savored the tea with a look of enjoyment. He was clearly an old hand at the tea ceremony, and had definitely taken advantage of Li Yunjing plenty of times.
"You couldn't break through it? Then calling me probably won't help. The two of us are evenly matched." Although Li Yunjing said this, he still stood up, preparing to go outside with Golden-Winged Roc to take a look.
"Heh! I knew you'd be interested. Let's go!" As he spoke, Golden-Winged Roc drained the spirit tea in one gulp and walked out of the stone house.
Seeing Golden-Winged Roc spread his wings and prepare to fly away, Li Yunjing shouted, "Wait! Give me a ride. My legs are slow!"
"Damn it!"
Golden-Winged Roc cursed inwardly. That bastard was taking advantage of him again. Still, he let Li Yunjing stand on his back before spreading his wings. In the blink of an eye, they had crossed three thousand li.
"If only this guy could become my mount!"
With every flap of his wings, Golden-Winged Roc crossed three thousand li at astonishing speed. Li Yunjing was envious, but the two were too familiar with each other, making it awkward for him to act. He secretly decided that, in the future, he had to capture a Golden-Winged Great Peng to serve as his mount.
After three or five breaths, Golden-Winged Roc was already circling through the air. Li Yunjing looked down at the earth and saw a valley hidden beneath a layer of dense fog. He could not see what was inside at all.
"This is the place. Let's go down!"
Golden-Winged Roc muttered. His form shifted, and he transformed back into human form before flying downward. A mass of auspicious clouds formed beneath Li Yunjing's feet, carrying him down to the valley entrance.
After examining the area carefully, Li Yunjing turned to Golden-Winged Roc and asked, "This is the place?"
"That's right! This is it! Our Golden-Winged Great Peng clan possesses innate divine eyes that can see through all things. After discovering that something was wrong here, I came three times. Yet I still couldn't force my way into the valley."
Golden-Winged Roc pointed at the restriction outside the valley. In the direction of his finger, traces of raging magic power could still be seen. It seemed he truly had spared no effort. The crater more than a zhang deep showed that he had indeed gone all out.
"Then let's try it! Watch my Great Zhou Heavenly Destruction Divine Light!"
Li Yunjing shouted. He swung the Nine Heavens Divine Sword in his hand toward the dense fog ahead. Rumble! Dark clouds gathered, the heavens thundered, and rolling thunderbolts came crashing down with the brilliant sword light of the Nine Heavens Divine Sword, striking the natural restriction at the valley entrance.
"Soaring Through the Nine Heavens! Endless Sword Rain!"
Seeing Li Yunjing make his move, Golden-Winged Roc's form blurred as he soared into the sky and revealed his true body. With a flap of his wings, tens of thousands of streaks of astral wind formed a rain of swords that slashed down toward the restriction.
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