Scattering like birds and beasts

Li Shaojun was unlucky; Zhang Xuezhou had never seen Li Shaojun accomplish anything.

Clearly, even after gathering all the ingredients for the Eight Steps to Immortality Pill and using the Nine Dragon Cauldron, Li Shaojun's pill-refining attempt failed.

This is somewhat similar to Zuo Lianguang's first successful hunt of a ferocious beast in Qin Meng, followed by months of joy and then his failure when attempting to break through to the Seventh Sequence.

If the new emperor and Li Shaojun had not met privately, and the new emperor himself had a need for it, Zhang Xuezhou felt that Li Shaojun had botched the process of refining the Eight Steps to Immortality Pill.

Of course, even if the Eight Steps to Immortality Pill were successfully refined, this kind of pill would be very dangerous and not suitable for large groups of cultivators to use.

For a moment, Zhang Xuezhou wavered, feeling that bringing the new emperor into the picture was not a good thing.

Zhang Xuezhou can withstand the effects of the poison with his poison-avoidance technique, and if Li Shaojun can't hold on after taking the medicine, he'll just die once. The new emperor doesn't have their abilities.

The new emperor was unaware of Zhang Xuezhou's capabilities, and Zhang Xuezhou, over the years, had also failed to grasp the new emperor's true strength, having no idea how capable the new emperor was or whether he could withstand the consequences of the Eight Steps to Immortality Pill.

"After all, we've achieved some success in our careers, and since we're cooperating based on our own needs, the outcome shouldn't be too embarrassing!"

If one had to pinpoint a way for Zhang Xuezhou to guarantee his safety, he would say he would follow the principles of luck.

Even if Li Shaojun were to refine the Eight Steps to Immortality Pill, the new emperor would not be the first to take it. Instead, he would have others take it first to test its effects before he himself would take it for safety.

Based on Li Shaojun's description of the elixir's principles, it is similar to the great medicine from the snake pit.

Having prior experience with medication, Zhang Xuezhou felt it was worth a try.

Inside the Yunyi Daoist Temple, the new emperor repeatedly persuaded and made decisions, almost unanimously agreeing to everything.

"Since Dongfang Shuo has invited me, and this gentleman is willing to provide the materials and venue, I will reluctantly do my best to refine it," Li Shaojun finally agreed. "However, I must make it clear beforehand that I cannot guarantee the elixir will be successful, nor can I guarantee that there will be no side effects after consuming it!"

"Daoist Master is too modest," the new emperor said. "Even the most skilled Alchemist cannot guarantee the success of refining pills, much less guarantee that everyone will be able to take them!"

"Since you are so kind, sir, I will stay at this temple for a while before traveling far away," Li Shaojun nodded and said.

"Is the Daoist priest leaving?" the new emperor asked in astonishment.

"Alas," Li Shaojun sighed, "My body has been injured for a long time and I failed to kill Nine Spirits Primal Sage when I attacked, nor did I manage to capture the mastermind behind the curse. Staying in Chang'an City for too long will inevitably bring future troubles. I can only travel far away to the deep mountains to take refuge!"

"Damn it!"

The new emperor gritted his teeth and muttered a curse in his heart.

It was no secret that Li Shaojun was in poor health; he had already made this clear when dealing with the Empress Dowager.

The new emperor was annoyed that the cultivators of the Great Han Dynasty were scattered and unable to band together, which made the Great Han Dynasty appear to be in a period of transition.

When Xu Chang, Zhuang Qingdi, and others were in charge of the Empress Dowager's funeral, Dou Ying and others could only stand at a distance and watch.

There are many people like Dou Ying in the Great Han Dynasty. Although their cultivation and strength are inferior to those of Nine Spirits Primal Sage and others, as long as they unite, they will not be afraid of invading outsiders.

On one hand, there are established forces that are difficult to unite, and on the other hand, there are emerging forces that have not yet grown to a sufficient level.

Caught between these two forces, the new emperor found it difficult to bring these different factions together in the court for peaceful coexistence.

Even Li Shaojun, who was extremely close to the imperial court, eventually fell into disarray and had to avoid the ensuing troubles.

Given Li Shaojun's fate, the new emperor could already foresee how others would react.

The new emperor hopes to gain the support of the old powers while also looking forward to the growth of the new powers, but he is not doing well in either aspect at present.

The new emperor failed to reconcile the irreconcilable conflicts among the major old powers, nor did he allow the new powers to grow to a sufficient level.

"Just a little bit more!"

He himself was also a little lacking.

But in the Yunyi Daoist Temple, the new emperor saw a glimmer of hope.

Unlike the secret place they had been searching for for years, Li Shaojun truly possessed the ability to refine pills, and the royal armory did indeed have the materials for the Eight Steps to Immortality Pill, as well as a large cauldron for refining pills.

"Master Li, I will gather the necessary ingredients as soon as possible, and then I will ask you to refine a batch. It will definitely not take up your time!"

"No problem!"

The new emperor clearly had deep trust in Li Shaojun. Not only was he someone personally verified by the Empress Dowager, but he also lent a hand during the Empress Dowager's funeral, ensuring that the funeral arrangements were not disrupted by Xu Chang, Zhuang Qingdi, and others.

No emperor would be stingy with his efforts if they could bring returns.

The new emperor believed Li Shaojun without a doubt, and his quick agreement even surprised Li Shaojun.

Li Shaojun was busy running back and forth, fearing being exposed by the Empress Dowager and being killed by Divine Lord Zhenyuan. He still had to grit his teeth and step forward to take the bullet and put on an act. All of this was no match for the new emperor's promise.

If he had known the new emperor was so easy to talk to, what would have happened of all the busy work he'd done over the past six months?

For a moment, Li Shaojun felt a pang of heartache.

"Dongfang Shuo, come visit me anytime!"

After the negotiations concluded successfully, Li Shaojun couldn't help but call out to Zhang Xuezhou as he left.

"I'll be moving here in a couple of days, and I'll come to visit you then!"

Zhang Xuezhou waved to Li Shaojun, then turned and greeted him in another direction.

The fact that Zhang Xuezhou came in person without any conflict, and that he even mentioned his payment to Zhang Xuezhou Zhuang Qingdi, clearly indicates that the collaboration has come to an end.

Zhang Xuezhou left with the new emperor, and Li Shaojun in the Yunyi Daoist Temple breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that his busy work over the past six months hadn't been in vain, and that there was still a possibility of making up for it.

In a side room of the Daoist temple Divine Lord Zhenyuan stretched his arms, feeling a sense of relief at having been relieved of a heavy responsibility. He no longer needed to guard Anle Palace, nor did he need to cooperate with Li Shaojun.

"Young Daoist Li, if you have time, come visit me at Duanhun Ridge. I have a tree there that I've cultivated. If it can survive and bear fruit, it will be a rare treasure," Divine Lord Zhenyuan invited, opening the window.

"Sure, sure!"

Li Shaojun nodded repeatedly.

He needed Divine Lord Zhenyuan's help, but he was also afraid of being exposed by Divine Lord Zhenyuan.

Now that things were settled, Li Shaojun was just hoping this scoundrel would leave.

Divine Lord Zhenyuan's intention to leave at this moment was exactly what he wanted, and he wished the other party would disappear immediately.

Seemingly realizing that he was being a little impatient, Li Shaojun asked another question after speaking repeatedly.

"Where is your Broken Soul Ridge?" Li Shaojun asked.

"Fly twelve thousand li in the direction I'm pointing, and you'll reach Broken Soul Ridge," Divine Lord Zhenyuan said, stroking his beard. "From the sky, Broken Soul Ridge resembles a long sword, and I plan to build my cultivation retreat on the hilt of that sword!"

"So Zhenyuan is going to build something too," Li Shaojun said happily.

"I've buried array artifacts there to create a Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Array, and I owe Fellow Daoist Dou a favor. I'll inevitably have to help the Great Han Kingdom in the future," Divine Lord Zhenyuan sighed. "Such help will surely bring disaster. I can only go back as soon as possible to perfect the array, so as to avoid difficulties in dealing with it in the future!"

"This kind of thing can't be delayed. If there's anything I can help with, be sure to call me. I may not be the most skilled, but I'm good at adding bricks and doing the rough work!"

Li Shaojun patted his chest and said many polite words, which made Divine Lord Zhenyuan, who was not good at socializing, feel even more guilty. He felt that he had just killed the other party's father and it was difficult to accept Li Shaojun's enthusiasm.

He got up from the side room, opened the gate of the Daoist temple, and strode away.

In an instant, the group that had gathered dispersed like birds and beasts as things came to a normal end.