Yuanfeng Came Calling, the Twenty-Four Sea-Calming Pearls
Li Yi made no attempt to conceal himself. The moment he appeared, the Red-skirt Woman on the immortal mountain spotted him.
She turned her gaze toward him and studied him briefly, a faint smile rising on her exquisite face.
"Yuanfeng greets you, fellow Daoist! I have long heard of your reputation. Now that we meet, your imposing presence surpasses even the rumors!"
Looking at the Red-skirt Woman, Li Yi had already guessed her identity before she spoke.
The Beast Calamity Tribulation had yet to end, and there was only one female Quasi-Saint cultivator in the world.
Since Yuanfeng had come in person and even waited a thousand years for him, Li Yi offered a courteous apology first.
"I was discussing the Dao with a fellow Daoist and could not leave midway. Sorry for keeping you waiting, fellow Daoist Yuanfeng!"
Yuanfeng shook her head gently.
"I came uninvited to trouble you. There is no need to apologize..."
Li Yi looked at the woman behind Yuanfeng. Recalling how he had taken possession of the Immortal Island, he had some idea of why Yuanfeng had come.
Still, he said nothing. He simply opened the formation's restrictions and led the two women onto the Immortal Island.
They returned to the same place where he had discussed the Dao earlier. Sensing the White Lotus fragrance that seemed to linger in the air, Yuanfeng grew even more astonished.
This Heaven-Earth Daoist's cultivation was even more profound than the rumors suggested! And he seemed to have only just broken through!
He said he had been discussing the Dao with someone? Who could that have been?
Many thoughts flashed through Yuanfeng's mind, but none showed on her face.
Li Yi poured a cup of spirit tea and placed it before her.
Yuanfeng still wore a smile, her voice clear and pleasant.
"I came today with a junior of my clan to offer an apology..."
As soon as Yuanfeng finished speaking, Fengling knelt behind her and kowtowed to Li Yi.
Li Yi had already guessed the karma involved.
Back then, Ao Jin of the Dragon Clan had attacked him. Although Yuanling had intended to intervene, she had still become entangled in the karma of that incident.
Had he chosen to settle the matter by killing every member of the Dragon and Phoenix Clans present, no one who learned of it would have objected.
For a Great Supernatural Being in the Primordial World, where strength reigned supreme, killing those who offended him was perfectly commonplace.
Of course, this matter could be considered serious or trivial. It all depended on how he viewed it.
He was not particularly bloodthirsty. Yuanling and the others had been no different from ants before him, and Yuanling had even tried to block the attack for him. Thus, after killing Ao Jin, he had not troubled anyone else.
Yuanfeng brought out a set of spirit treasures, a gentle smile still resting on her exquisite face.
"A junior of our clan offended you. Please accept these spirit treasures as our apology..."
Li Yi looked over, inwardly startled.
There were twenty-four pearl-shaped spirit treasures, every one a Mid-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure! Together, they were undoubtedly a supreme-grade innate spirit treasure, no less impressive than the Twelfth-Grade Pure World Lotus Platform in his possession!
The set was so distinctive that Li Yi recognized it without much thought. These had to be the Sea-Calming Pearls known in later ages!
Inwardly marveling, Li Yi replied with a smile.
"Surely you have another reason for coming today, fellow Daoist?"
Yuanling was merely a member of Yuanfeng's clan. Even if she had been Yuanfeng's own sister or daughter, that would hardly warrant waiting outside for a thousand years and presenting a supreme-grade innate spirit treasure comparable to the Twelfth-Grade Pure World Lotus Platform!
Clearly, Yuanling's matter was only a pretext. Yuanfeng must have something else in mind!
At his words, Yuanfeng smiled with pursed lips.
"There is indeed something for which I would like to ask your assistance, fellow Daoist Qiankun..."
"The Fierce Beast race has now perished across the Primordial World, but Beast Emperor Shen Ni still remains..."
"More than three thousand years ago, our clan discovered where the Beast Emperor was hiding. Yet even with our entire clan's strength, we may not be able to rid the Primordial World of this great scourge!"
"I came today both to apologize for our junior Yuanling and to invite you to join our clan in slaying this fiend!"
At Yuanfeng's explanation, Li Yi nodded slightly.
Now that made sense!
That little incident hardly justified such an extravagant offering from the Phoenix Clan. So they were paying him to help kill a beast! That was much more reasonable...
If he refused the task, he could hardly have the nerve to accept the treasures.
For one thing, Great Supernatural Beings of this era cared deeply about their dignity. For another, he dared not casually take on such weighty karma. If he accepted such valuable treasures for nothing and did no work, he would sooner or later have to repay the debt during a great tribulation!
After speaking, Yuanfeng quietly observed Li Yi's reaction.
There were only a handful of Quasi-Saints in this world: the ancestors of the Three Clans, Beast Emperor Shen Ni, and a few Great Supernatural Beings who had existed since the world's creation!
She considered herself evenly matched with Beast Emperor Shen Ni, but she could not claim she would certainly kill him. She could only seek help.
The ancestors of the other two clans were clearly out of the question. The Three Clans were competing for supremacy. Whoever killed the Beast Emperor and gained the greatest share of Heavenly Dao merit afterward would become the ruler of the era!
As for the other Great Supernatural Beings, after much consideration, only this Heaven-Earth Daoist seemed suitable.
The others either had no desire to kill and spent their days wandering and seeking the Dao, or were bloodthirsty like Luohou and difficult to bargain with.
The Heaven-Earth Daoist had previously been obscure, only gaining fame after killing Fierce Beasts. Since he killed Fierce Beasts, he must also wish to compete for the Heavenly Dao merit awarded after the calamity cycle.
Although he sought merit too, he was alone. Even if he obtained it, he would not disrupt the Phoenix Clan's bid for supremacy. In that case, what harm was there in sharing the merit from Beast Emperor Shen Ni equally with him?
After hearing Yuanfeng out, Li Yi considered briefly, then made his decision without hesitation.
"Very well! I will take on this task!"
As he spoke, Li Yi swept his sleeve and accepted the entire set of Sea-Calming Pearls.
Seeing him agree, the beauty's face lit up with a radiant smile.
Li Yi then looked at Yuanling, who was still kneeling beside them.
"As for what happened last time, I never took it to heart. Let us consider the matter settled..."
Yuanfeng shook her head gently and replied.
"Though you do not hold a junior's actions against her, she did indeed offend you."
"To be frank, this child is the daughter of a younger clan sister of mine."
"If you do not object, she could remain on the island as a maid to brew tea and tend the herbs..."
As the first phoenix in the world, she had neither a mate nor children. Those born in the same generation within her clan were her younger clan sisters and brothers, and all subsequent members of the Phoenix Clan descended from those primordial divines.
Hearing this, Li Yi thought he understood her purpose.
The Beast Calamity Tribulation was nearing its end, and she had foreseen the Three Clans standing as rival powers. Was she using this apology as an excuse to place Yuanling beside him as a maid, so that if the Phoenix Clan encountered trouble later, they could seek his support?
No sooner had Li Yi thought this than Yuanfeng continued.
"If you accept her, I am willing to swear by the Heavenly Dao that Yuanling will no longer be a member of the Phoenix Clan. Whatever prosperity or calamity befalls our clan in the future will have nothing to do with her."
"If she offends you, you may deal with her as you see fit. The Phoenix Clan will never interfere..."
Her words jolted Li Yi, instantly overturning his earlier assumption.
He seemed to have underestimated this ancestor of the Phoenix Clan. From her words, she might hope to gain his support, but her main purpose was to have this junior join his side, almost as though entrusting her to his care. Could she also dimly foresee the Phoenix Clan's eventual fate, and be sending away talented juniors in advance to keep them from being wiped out with the clan?
With that thought settled, Li Yi studied Yuanling as she knelt quietly before him.
She was at the peak of the Supreme Unity Golden Immortal realm, her aura fully perfected. A future breakthrough to Great Firmament Golden Immortal was practically assured. With proper guidance, even the Quasi-Saint realm might be within her reach...
In truth, with his current strength, he could just as easily awaken a few immortal herbs to serve as maids or Daoist attendants.
But such maids would not possess foundations comparable to hers. Reaching Supreme Unity Golden Immortal would already be their limit...
After a brief consideration, Li Yi nodded slightly.
"Very well! She may remain on the island..."
Delighted, Yuanfeng turned toward Yuanling beside her.
"Why haven't you thanked the Dao Master?"
Just as Li Yi had surmised, although the Phoenix Clan was currently at its zenith, decline followed prosperity. Yuanfeng had sensed something in the unseen workings of fate and had considered sending some exceptionally talented clan members away to escape future disaster.
There was nowhere safer than the abode of a Great Supernatural Being with no worldly ties!
Even if the Phoenix Clan were truly wiped out one day, its enemies would not antagonize a Great Supernatural Being over someone who had been expelled from the clan.
Yuanling had already prepared herself before coming. Hearing her aunt's words, she respectfully kowtowed to Li Yi.
"Yuanling thanks you, Dao Master!"
Without hesitation, Yuanfeng swore an oath before Li Yi to expel Yuanling from the Phoenix Clan. She then had Yuanling swear by the Heavenly Dao to remain loyal to Li Yi as her Dao Master, finally bringing the matter to a close.
Li Yi wasted no words either. He sent out a Jade Slip containing brief instructions on the island's affairs and the formation's restrictions, then rose and left the island with Yuanfeng, heading toward the hiding place of Beast Emperor Shen Ni she had described.
Within a canyon shrouded in fiendish qi on Buzhou Mountain.
Although the Fierce Beast race was gradually being eradicated, the world's fiendish qi had yet to dissipate. Many places remained enveloped in it.
Cultivators struggled to probe such places with their divine sense, and over time, they had become hiding places for Fierce Beasts.
Beast Emperor Shen Ni sat upon his throne when a sudden premonition stirred a faint unease in his heart.
He was just about to summon the subordinates waiting outside when a thunderous explosion instantly destroyed the entire valley.
Li Yi and Yuanfeng stood side by side in the air, with more than ten Great Firmament Golden Immortals of the Phoenix Clan behind them.
Looking at the valley ahead, Yuanfeng turned to Li Yi. He made no attempt to hold back, activating the Twelfth-Grade Pure World Lotus Platform beneath him. Dense, mighty pure white power instantly purified the fiendish qi throughout the valley. Even the Fierce Beasts concealed within it were affected. Some Great Firmament-level Fierce Beasts lost twenty percent of their fiendish qi before even seeing their enemies, their strength falling by several tenths.
Seeing the fiendish qi purified, the clan members behind Yuanfeng charged into the battlefield below without hesitation and began slaughtering the Fierce Beasts!
Li Yi and Yuanfeng, meanwhile, turned their gazes toward their leader, Beast Emperor Shen Ni.
Enemies saw red the moment they met. Shenni immediately recognized the two of them, brought forth his spirit treasure, and charged at them.
Ordinary Fierce Beasts, even those at the Great Firmament level, possessed no magic power whatsoever and could not refine spirit treasures. Shenni, however, had already entered the primordial unity supreme immortal realm, returning to his original essence and gaining magic power. Although it fell short of a cultivator's at the same realm, he could still wield spirit treasures.
Neither Li Yi nor Yuanfeng hesitated. Each brought forth a supreme-grade innate spirit treasure and charged forward. In an instant, dense power of laws filled the entire valley.