True Lord Yuanhao's voice returned to its cold tone.
It seemed as if he had suppressed his emotions.
His tone was neither forceful nor did he pay attention to Lu Li's attitude; he simply continued talking about trivial matters.
" The Azure Pool Three Commanderies are actually the Blessed Land where the Nether Toad Patriarch cultivates. I am the Old Ancestor's attendant."
There were originally five, four died, and I'm the only one left.
"His main responsibility is to manage all sorts of miscellaneous matters within the Blessed Land."
"Firstly, we must regularly clean up the mortal population within the Blessed Land. There shouldn't be too many. Mortals are like weeds; if they grow too fast, they will steal nutrients from the spiritual seedlings. In other words, the quantity and quality of cultivators like you and me are crucial."
"Secondly, we must cultivate the innate talents of the Blessed Land, pruning away the unruly branches and tendrsils, especially those with poor aptitude."
"To prevent them from hoarding too much supplies."
"Thirdly, it is important to promptly handle the offerings from outside the Blessed Land."
"Occasionally, cultivators from other ' Blessed Land ' or some ignorant fools wander in."
"It needs to be removed as soon as possible to prevent it from polluting the environment or... harming the livestock."
At this point, Yuanhao paused and looked at Lu Li.
"Fourth... and most important."
"Every hundred years, a top-quality blood-nourishing tonic must be presented to our ancestor."
"That's right, just as you think. Consuming Dao Fruit is all about feeding on the Ancestor's blood. But don't worry, Dao Fruit are good things; they are condensed from the Ancestor's cultivation."
"Over the years, apart from Xuanyu and you who have ate the Dao Fruit for nothing, there has been no one else."
After saying this, Yuanhao remained silent and did not urge him on.
He stood silently to the side, seemingly waiting for Lu Li to process what he had just learned.
In the silence, Lu Li's thoughts were complicated.
He never expected that his four earlier questions would be truly answered today.
To be honest, after going through such a dramatic change, it's really not easy for him, a Foundation Establishment, to not have collapsed.
After all, even Yuanhao, who had reached the Golden Core, could still go berserk and vent his frustrations; how much more so for him.
Fortunately... the confusion only lasted for a moment.
I thought about what was behind me.
The father's concerned eyes, the mother's gentle admonitions, the younger sister's lively laughter...
And Great Xia!
Countless compatriots are working tirelessly day and night for him.
We're waiting for him to come back.
All hope and all effort rested on him.
He can't collapse!
The despair I am facing is real.
Yuanhao's madness was real.
The terror of the Nether Toad Patriarch is also real.
But... so what?
His roots are not here, and his future cannot be confined to this place.
He is different from Yuanhao.
He wasn't trying to deceive himself in this damned ' Blessed Land,' but rather... to go home!
Thinking of this, Lu Li slowly raised his head and looked at True Lord Yuanhao.
A powerful dose of reason prevailed over the confusion.
His eyes revealed an unprecedented clarity.
"I attained the Dao Fruit, but unlike Xuanming Yuanyan, I was not devoured."
"So... it's because they value my weapon-refining skills?"
"That's right!"
Yuanhao seemed somewhat surprised by Lu Li's composure.
Or perhaps they were shocked that he could accept the facts so quickly.
Nodding, I couldn't help but admire the Lu Li force of takeoff and landing.
His tone softened considerably.
"You are indeed remarkable; not only are you a prodigy in the Dao of Artifact Refinement, but you are also a clever person."
"That's good; dealing with smart people is the least troublesome."
"Your cultivation Dao of Artifact Refinement is different from mine. As for the miscellaneous matters of the Blessed Land I just mentioned, you don't need to concern yourself with them at this stage."
"Those are things you should do after you reach the Golden Core, but right now..."
"Your most important task is to repair your Spirit Vein, and... to Core Formation as soon as possible!"
Having said that, he stepped forward, his wrist gleaming, and pulled out several bottles of tonics.
"I'll use these nourishing pills to quickly absorb and refine the Dao Fruit."
"Only when you reach the Golden Core and become a third-tier Grandmaster, capable of refining top-tier third-tier Law Artifact, will you be of great help to the Ancestor."
"By the way... don't even think about running away. Once you've eaten the Ancestor's Dao Fruit and left the three prefectures, you'll immediately attract the attention of the lords of other Blessed Land."
After giving these instructions, Yuanhao didn't linger any longer. With a flick of his sleeve, he sent Lu Li and the pills out of the cave abode.
It was sent to the inner gate.
He was instructed to go with the disciple beside him to repair the Spirit Vein.
The shattered Spirit Vein were a hassle, even for him; he wondered when they would be repaired...
Upon arriving at the inner sect, Lu Li looked at the disciples bustling about in all directions, then glanced down at the pill bottle in his hand.
He remained silent for a moment, then put it away without saying anything more.
There's nothing more to say right now.
Lu Li believed that once he Core Formation, he would be able to rely on Golden Core power to work with the nation to find a way to break the deadlock.
What's more, there's also a jade pendant!
Yes, remembering the jade pendant, Lu Li pretended to blend into the crowd unintentionally.
His eyes flickered.
While inside the secret realm, the jade pendant acted strangely, attracting the toad demon.
Moreover, the jade pendant seemed to pose a significant threat to him...
Lu Li focused his Divine Sense on the spiritual platform and examined the jade pendant internally.
In his view, the fish-shaped jade pendant had not changed much, except that it had more blood-red patterns and had become sharper overall.
For some reason, Lu Li had a premonition.
If I wait until I attain the Golden Core, this jade pendant will surely undergo other miraculous changes.
maybe...
"It's not certain that he'll develop the ability to kill!"
Suddenly, a thought popped into Lu Li's mind.
It wasn't that he was being delusional; he had clearly seen the jade pendant's movements within the secret realm.
With each sharp slash, even the great demon let out a mournful howl.
Finally, they even tore open the secret realm to release him.
Such power, if it could be used in actual combat, could be unleashed proactively.
From now on... he will have his own trump card to rely on!
"But... why could that toad demon cause this jade pendant to react so strangely?"
Judging from its behavior in the secret realm, it seems to be using its Blood Qi to nourish itself.
"Could it be that this jade pendant is currently in a... sealed state? Requires nourishment from Blood Qi?"
Lu Li couldn't figure it out, but he had a feeling that he might have guessed correctly.
Unfortunately, he never had the chance to conduct the experiment.
This strange occurrence in the secret realm was only possible because it startled the mysterious entity behind Ye Chenfeng, who then took the blame for him.
I reckon... even if that great demon wipes out the entire sect, it will still try to find me.
"Well, it's a good thing that Senior Brother Ye left the sect in the end."
"This pig's Fate Pattern is truly extraordinary; I wish him success in his future spiritual practice."
With a sigh, Lu Li fell silent, looking down at the fragments of the Spirit Vein exposed in the cracks in the ground.
I want to see how this Spirit Vein shattered.
It was perfectly fine... how could it break?
As his Divine Sense swept through...
To their surprise, the area surrounding the inner gate was filled with fragments of Spirit Vein broken into sections.
It frantically released Spiritual Power while continuously seeping into the depths of the mountain.
It looked quite bizarre, and the disciples beside them were in a state of utter confusion, not knowing where to begin their cultivation.
Lu Li seemed to suddenly remember something, and his eyes lit up slightly.
" Spirit Vein fragments... these should be much more effective than Spirit Soil, right?"
"If only this could be sent back to Great Xia..."