Half a Volume of Secret Art; Condensing Imperial Dynasty Dragon Qi

Zhou Family.

Large batches of Demon Suppression Division soldiers hurried back and forth.

Corpse after corpse of the Zhou Family was dragged onto the streets, carelessly covered with a sheet of white cloth.

Put on display for all to see.

Countless gold, silver, and jewels were hauled from the treasury, loaded into chest after chest.

Every place that could hide filth and evil was searched from top to bottom.

Not a single Demon Suppression Division soldier complained of hardship or fatigue. They were all enjoying themselves, their faces flushed with the exhilaration of holding their heads high.

Whenever they had a spare moment, their gazes would drift toward the center of the battlefield.

Upon the massive body of the tree demon, a figure in black robes sat with one leg crossed, his forearm casually resting on his knee, his sleeves fluttering in the wind.

It was that immortal master who had led them in encircling the Zhou Family, then slain the Zhou Family Head with a swift and tyrannical display, finally bringing this matter to a satisfactory end.

In their hearts, Jiang Li had long surpassed even Qinghe County's vanguard general.

They both revered and admired him.

At the center of the battlefield.

Jiang Li sat casually atop the tree demon's vines and looked at Li Xi.

"Are you all right?"

He had personally watched this lively young woman swallow pills as if her life did not matter, all of them low-grade pills, simply to help him recover his Mana faster. The feeling this gave him was rather strange.

The pills this lively young woman gave him were all top-grade pills.

Yet she herself used low-grade pills.

The pill toxins were enough to kill someone.

She really did give him all the best things.

"Ah?"

Li Xi did not seem to understand.

She tilted her head, looking adorably confused.

"The pills you took. Swallowing so many low-grade pills at once is fatal to a cultivator."

Li Xi understood.

Her almond-shaped eyes narrowed.

She let out a silly little laugh.

"Jiang Li, are you worried about me? Then I'll tell you another secret."

As she spoke.

She leaned closer, her fragrance washing over him and stirring Jiang Li's heart into disorder.

"Actually, I have a Longevity Physique. I have an extraordinary absorption rate for pills, and that includes pill toxins. Once refined, they turn into my cultivation, so the more low-grade pills I eat, the faster my cultivation rises."

Jiang Li was inwardly startled.

A Longevity Physique—this was one of the most exceptional innate constitutions.

During his time undercover in the Heavenly Mystery Holy Land, Yuan Li had also instructed those spies to investigate the Longevity Physique and determine who possessed it.

He had never expected the owner of that Longevity Physique to be Li Xi.

From what he knew, a Longevity Physique meant two words: lifespan.

Rumor had it that drinking a mouthful of the blood of someone with a Longevity Physique could add a hundred and eighty years to one's life.

Refining it could extend one's lifespan by ten thousand years.

That was a lifespan only cultivators above the Body Integration Realm possessed.

If one could gain ten thousand years of life, the benefits to a cultivator were unimaginable. Even Spirit Transformation cultivators would turn green with envy.

The Myriad Desire Demon Lord had clearly entertained such thoughts as well.

"Hehe, I'm impressive, right?"

Li Xi planted her small hands on her waist and lifted her chin, looking as though she was waiting for praise.

Jiang Li, however, turned serious. "How many people have you told about your Longevity Physique?"

Li Xi counted on her fingers. "Not many. You, Qingqing, my dad, my mom, and my grandmother. Oh, why are you being so serious? I know what matters. I won't tell anyone else. I'll only tell people I trust."

Jiang Li breathed a sigh of relief.

Possession was the Myriad Desire Demon Lord's plan, and so was the Longevity Physique.

If he had to choose between the two, the Myriad Desire Demon Lord would undoubtedly choose the latter.

How could possession compare to directly extending one's lifespan?

"That's good."

"Hehe, Jiang Li, you still haven't said whether I'm impressive."

"Impressive, very impressive. If not for you, killing the Zhou Family Head would not have been so easy."

Jiang Li gave her a thumbs-up.

He genuinely meant it.

Without entering unattended mode and triggering the cooperative skill between spells and cultivation arts, his Mana was not inexhaustible.

Even with fourth-tier brilliant-gold Mana, whose quality far surpassed that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, using the fully mastered Dragon Slaying Sword was still a bottomless pit.

At a time like this, a bottle of mana-restoring medicine could decide the outcome.

"Hehe, actually, I'm not that impressive. You and Qingqing are much more amazing. Otherwise, my Mana support would not have been that useful."

Perhaps because it was the first time she had heard Jiang Li praise her, this lively young woman became somewhat embarrassed. Still, she kept humming softly, clearly in an excellent mood.

At that moment.

A cold voice sounded.

"You two, come over here."

Hearing this.

The two of them scampered beneath the banyan hollow.

"There's something here. Extremely pure wood-attribute spiritual energy. It should be the original body of the heaven-and-earth spiritual object the Zhou Family raised."

Jiang Li recalled, "Yi Wood Spiritual Infant? I heard that Zhou Family Head mention it."

Murong Qing's eyes flickered.

Her longsword severed the tangled vines.

It revealed a section of green wood overflowing with Sha Qi.

What should originally have been jade-green wood was stained with layer after layer of blood-red patterns.

Its ferocity was difficult to dispel.

"It really is a Yi Wood Spiritual Infant. It is said to be a high-grade heaven-and-earth spiritual object born only through a fortunate coincidence at the place where a cultivator's Yuan Infant perished. If used by a wood-attribute cultivator, it can raise the aptitude of their spiritual root to a Heavenly Spiritual Root. However, it has already been tainted by blood Sha Qi. Unless it is purified first, it cannot be used at all."

Murong Qing explained.

Because she saw the clear look in Jiang Li's eyes that betrayed his lack of knowledge.

The moment Jiang Li heard that, he understood.

An item that could allow cultivators of ordinary aptitude to defy fate and change their destiny.

He instinctively looked at Li Xi.

The Longevity Physique was an innate wood-attribute constitution.

Li Xi shook her head. "Jiang Li, the Longevity Physique is more advanced than a Yi Wood Spiritual Infant. If I used this, wouldn't my aptitude deteriorate?"

Jiang Li: ...

Pretend he had said nothing.

Murong Qing looked at Jiang Li, then at Li Xi. She had no particular thoughts about Li Xi revealing her Longevity Physique.

After all.

Both Jiang Li's character and his righteous determination to Slay Demons and Defend the Dao showed that he would not betray Li Xi.

"This is yours, so you should handle it. But I can give you a suggestion: hand this over to Dan Peak. Dan Peak has the ability to remove the blood Sha Qi from the Yi Wood Spiritual Infant, and they can also refine it into pills beneficial to you."

Jiang Li did not doubt her.

He immediately handed the Yi Wood Spiritual Infant to Li Xi and told her to decide what to do with it.

Li Xi accepted it, her narrowed eyes like those of a satisfied cat. She was delighted by Jiang Li's utterly unreserved trust.

Not long afterward.

The three of them left the Zhou Residence.

More than a thousand remaining Demon Suppression Division soldiers were all there.

The instant Jiang Li emerged, they collectively stopped their work, dropped to one knee, and expressed their most solemn gratitude to him.

"Immortal Master, thank you for eradicating the Zhou Family for Qinghe County and restoring peace to this place. On behalf of all the people of Qinghe County, I offer you our most sincere blessings."

The young captain knelt at the very front.

His expression was earnest.

He regarded Jiang Li as the great benefactor who had saved Qinghe County.

"Immortal Master, these are the Zhou Family assets tallied by the Demon Suppression Division. You eradicated the Zhou Family, so all of this is yours. There is also this Golden Citadel, which contains Qinghe County's Incense and Fire Prayer Power. Although the Zhou Family has already used up most of it, as long as Qinghe County can stabilize, the Incense and Fire Prayer Power will soon fill it again."

"And this half-volume secret manual of the Carefree Wind-Riding Art. This is a cultivation art only the Misty Imperial Family may cultivate. Though we do not know where the Zhou Family acquired it, it may perhaps be useful to you."

As if afraid Jiang Li would refuse the Demon Suppression Division's goodwill, the young captain brought out every valuable item seized from the Zhou Family.

Jiang Li accepted the Golden Citadel and the half-volume secret manual.

As for the gold, silver, and jewels spread out for ten miles, Jiang Li swept his hand and said calmly, "To me, wealth is nothing more than something outside the body. Better to take it from the people and return it to the people. Qinghe County needs this money and grain more than I do."

His voice was not loud, yet it echoed between heaven and earth.

Lingering for a long time without fading.

More and more commoners emerged and fell to their knees with a thud, thanking him as a living Bodhisattva who aided the world and saved the people.

At this moment.

All of Qinghe County was singing praises of his deeds.

As the sun set in the west.

Jiang Li's shadow stretched long behind him, as though he had been plated with a layer of golden radiance.

Ding! The cultivation art "Emperor's World-Shocking Art" has fulfilled the prayers of ten thousand people. The Emperor's Heart boils, Incense and Fire Prayer Power gathers of its own accord, and ten strands of Imperial Dynasty Dragon Qi have condensed.

New trait acquired: Emperor's Status.

Emperor's Status: When you are within your territory, you possess Myriad Laws Immunity. Any damage will automatically be transferred to the city. The richer the Imperial Dynasty Dragon Qi, the faster its recovery speed.

Hiss!

This new trait was asking for trouble.

His territory referred to any place where he could obtain Incense and Fire Prayer Power.

Qinghe County was the first.

When he stood upon Qinghe County's land, any damage he suffered would be transferred to the town itself. So long as the enemy did not possess the ability to wipe out the entire city in an instant, he would possess Myriad Laws Immunity.

And afterward, the city could automatically repair and heal itself.

This was far too heaven-defying.

The more cities he occupied and the more Incense and Fire Prayer Power he acquired, the faster his Body Refinement Method would progress. He could even gain a certain degree of an immortal body.

Damn.

This was practically forcing him onto the path of rebellion.

PS: This humble author is begging online for investments, recommendation votes, and monthly votes.