Gou Zai Liang Jie (a person's name) gathers Qi to attain enlightenment.

Chapter 60: Heavenly Mystery City

The atmosphere inside the hall suddenly became quiet.

Jiang Changqiu sat at the head of the table, head bowed in thought, while Zhao Nanxu and Li Wu drank their spiritual tea, waiting for each other's answers.

After a long silence, Jiang Changqiu spoke:

"I can take you to [Dongshengzhou], but I won't help you with what kind of deal you can make with Tianji Pavilion."

"Can."

Zhao Nanxu and Li Wu both nodded.

For now, the important thing is to go to Dongshengzhou first; as for other things, we can talk about them later.

Jiang Changqiu then nodded and said:

"In that case, we shall set off in three days."

…………

Three days later.

A spaceship, about ten feet long and entirely black, hovered in mid-air. Intricate runes were engraved on both sides of the ship, with a faint spiritual light flowing around it.

Standing at the bow of the boat was an elderly man with white hair, none other than Jiang Changqiu, the head of the Dayan Sect.

There was no one else besides him.

The journey to Dongshengzhou is long and fraught with unpredictable dangers, so the fewer people there are, the better.

Jiang Changqiu looked at Li Wu and Zhao Nanxu below and said:

"Fellow Daoists, please board the ship."

So the two of them flew onto the spirit ship.

"The journey to Dongshengzhou is long and will take about three months."

Jiang Changqiu looked at the two of them and reminded them:

"You may encounter monsters or rogue cultivators on your journey, so please be careful, fellow Daoists."

The spirit ship is driven by spirit stones and can operate day and night.

During this period, Li Wu and the other two spent most of their time meditating and regulating their breathing. When passing through the Monster Mountain Range, they encountered monster attacks multiple times.

Fortunately, they were lucky and did not encounter any Core Formation stage demonic beasts, so Li Wu and his companions arrived at [Dongsheng Continent] without any major incidents.

…………

Dongsheng Continent, Tianji City.

The spirit ship slowly sailed below the clouds, and the view suddenly opened up before Li Wu and the other two.

Below, a range of mountains stretched out, and nestled among them, a colossal city stood majestically.

The city wall is over a hundred feet high and is made entirely of dark blue-black boulders. There is an arrow tower every hundred steps on the city wall.

At the top of the arrow tower, various metal puppets could be vaguely seen. The puppets' eyes gleamed with spiritual light as they slowly turned their heads, scanning everything around them.

This Tianji City is far more impressive than Pukou Market and Sanlukou Market.

Even the inner city of Xixiawu in the Qi gathering area is inferior.

"Mechanical arts and puppetry? No wonder they're a Core Formation Realm power," Li Wuxin mused.

The spirit ship landed at a special dock outside Tianji City. The three of them disembarked, passed through the city gate, and entered Tianji City.

The streets are wide and orderly, lined with shops on both sides, and most of the shops display various mechanical devices in front of them.

After entering the city, Jiang Changqiu turned to look at Li Wu and the other person, and said:

"Fellow Daoists, farewell."

Jiang Changqiu's agreement with the two men was to take them to Dongshengzhou, so Li Wu and Zhao Nanxu did not stop them.

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, please take care."

Jiang Changqiu nodded slightly, then disappeared into the crowd.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, then let's part ways here."

Li Wu looked at Zhao Nanxu.

Since the two came to Tianji City for different reasons, there was no need for them to travel together.

Therefore, when Li Wu suggested separating, Zhao Nanxu nodded and said:

"Take care, Fellow Daoist Li."

Immediately, Li Wu turned and left.

He brought nearly two thousand spirit stones with him on this trip, as well as some spiritual items that are only found in the Qi Gathering Realm.

"The [Tai Xu] Secret Realm is about to open. Let's see if we can buy some suitable mechanical artifacts or puppets."

Li Wu walked alone on the streets of Tianji City. Shops lined both sides of the street, and the sounds of hawking and bargaining mingled together.

Most of the shops here are equipped with mechanisms, puppets, and talisman arrays. Even the shops selling spirit tea have a bronze mechanical tea boy at the entrance that can boil water and brew tea on its own with smooth and flowing movements, attracting many cultivators in the early to mid-stages of Qi Refining to stop and watch.

"The methods of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion are indeed extraordinary," Li Wuxin said.

He walked along the main street for about half an hour until a three-story pavilion came into view.

The entire pavilion is made of white jade, and a huge plaque hangs above the door with the three large characters "Tianji Fang" written in vigorous strokes, faintly revealing a spiritual charm.

Two cultivators dressed in blue robes stood at the entrance, with tokens tied around their waists bearing the words "Heavenly Secrets".

Li Wu paused to observe for a moment and discovered that many of the cultivators entering and leaving this place were at the Foundation Establishment stage.

"Looks like a good place."

Li Wu stepped inside.

Upon entering, the sight before him caused him to pause slightly in surprise.

The hall was extremely spacious, measuring a hundred feet square, with crystal glass display cases embedded in the four walls, where various mechanical artifacts were quietly displayed.

There was a mechanical hummingbird the size of a palm, about to take flight; a mechanical war wolf half the height of a person, with menacing fangs; and even a bronze puppet nearly two zhang tall, sitting cross-legged on the display platform, eyes closed, emanating a faint spiritual pressure.

This made Li Wu open his eyes wide in surprise.

"Senior, is this your first time at Tiangongfang?" A clear voice came from beside me.

Li Wu turned his head and saw a pretty young female cultivator walking towards him, who looked to be in her early twenties.

He was at the late stage of Qi Refining, wearing the same blue robe as the guards at the gate, except that he had an extra silver token at his waist.

"Exactly." Li Wu nodded.

The female cultivator smiled gracefully and said:

"My name is Su Wan'er. If you don't mind, fellow Daoist, may I introduce myself to you?"

"Thank you for your trouble, fellow Daoist." Li Wuwei nodded slightly.

Su Wan'er stepped aside and gestured "please," leading Li Wu inside as she explained:

"Tianji Workshop is one of the six major businesses directly under Tianji Pavilion, specializing in mechanical artifacts and puppets."

"Our goods are divided into three grades: the lower grade is for Qi Refining cultivators, the middle grade is for Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the upper grade is a rare item that only Core Formation cultivators are qualified to purchase."

"Of course, the best quality goods are not displayed on a regular basis. If you need them, you need to make an appointment in advance and be received personally by the elders of the pavilion."

Li Wu nodded, his gaze sweeping over the display cases around him, and asked:

What is the approximate price range for Foundation Establishment level mechanical artifacts and puppets?

"The price ranges from approximately three hundred to eight hundred, depending on what kind of mechanical creations and puppets you need," Su Wan'er said with a smile.

Li Wu cultivates the [Divine Thunder] path, and his killing power is already quite strong, so he has no need for killing-type mechanical creations or puppets.

After thinking for a moment, he spoke:

"Defensive or something more specialized."

Su Wan'er nodded slightly and said with a smile:

"Please follow me, senior."

After passing through several rows of display cases, the two stopped in front of a standalone glass display case.

The booth displayed three items: a palm-sized bronze mirror, a dark silver chain, and a wooden doll about a foot tall.

Su Wan'er pointed to the wooden doll and said:

"Senior, this item is called the [Substitute Puppet]. Its function is to automatically block the attack for its master when the master suffers a fatal blow. It is priced at eight hundred spirit stones."

Upon hearing this, Li Wu raised an eyebrow, pondering to himself:

"This puppet is so incredibly powerful that it can actively block a fatal blow?"

"No, if this thing is so powerful, how could it only be a mid-grade item instead of a high-grade one?"

"And it only costs eight hundred spirit stones."

Li Wu remained calm and asked:

"Is there a limit to how much this can produce?"

Su Wan'er's expression froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered and smiled:

"Senior is indeed discerning; the [Substitute Puppet] does have its limits."

"This [Substitute Puppet] needs to be constantly nurtured with divine soul. The stronger the divine soul and the longer the nurturing time, the higher the damage it can withstand."

"However, senior, even without nurturing, this [Substitute Puppet] can withstand a full-force attack from an early Foundation Establishment cultivator."

"I see."

Li Wuwei nodded slightly. Although this [Substitute Puppet] had limitations, it was still a rare treasure.

After all, only those at the Foundation Establishment stage can enter the [Tai Xu] Secret Realm.

This [substitute puppet] might just change the course of the battle at a crucial moment.

Thinking of this, Li Wu nodded and said:

"I want this [Scapegoat Puppet]."

Subsequently, on the other party's recommendation, Li Wu bought several more Qi-refining level mechanical beasts, whose main purpose was to conduct reconnaissance.

It cost him nearly 1,200 spirit stones in total.

…………

After leaving Tianjifang, Li Wu prepared to find a place to stay temporarily.

Li Wu planned to gather information about various parties in Dongshengzhou here later.

Dongshengzhou is far more powerful than Danfengzhou, where Youyang County is located.

This place has many high-level spiritual veins and abundant spiritual energy, so there are many forces here, including quite a few at the Foundation Establishment level.

It is far superior to Danfengzhou.

…………

Gas extraction area.

After Ning Que was captured by the monk, he was taken back to the Buddhist temple and imprisoned in the pool. Monks chanted sutras and recited Buddhist scriptures around the pool day and night.

This caused Ning Que great pain, and he was in a daze every day.

The young monk, or rather Yongxin, looked at Ning Que in the water with a smile on his face and said:

"I examined your memories and found that you not only knew that tortoise, but also a cultivator who practices the [Divine Thunder] path."

"His name is... Li Wu?"

"Your sister is born with a cold constitution. If she cultivates the [Cold Qi] path, she will definitely be a potential Purple Mansion seed. She also knows two people with special destinies."

"But your fate is so ordinary, how strange indeed."

Yongxin stared at Ning Que's exhausted face, puzzled, and asked:

"Could it be that the Purple Mansion Immortal... or even a True Lord, did something to you?"

Ning Que struggled to lift his eyelids from the pool, staring blankly at the monks on the shore.

The pool water shimmered with golden light, and countless fine Sanskrit characters flowed on the surface, like invisible chains that bound Ning Que tightly.

The monks who had been chanting sutras around the pond day and night had now left, leaving only Yongxin standing with his hands behind his back, looking down at him.

"The Purple Mansion True Man... True Lord?"

Ning Que's voice was hoarse as he said in a deep voice:

"What are you saying... I don't understand."

"Fine, fine, if you don't want to talk about it, then don't."

Yongxin sat cross-legged, hands clasped together, and said:

"I will find out."

Immediately, he chanted incantations and made hand seals, and the fine Sanskrit characters entered Ning Que's body.

"Ah! Ahhh!"

The intense, excruciating pain caused Ning Que to wail in agony.

…………

I don't know how much time passed.

Ning Que slowly opened his eyes. The surroundings were no longer a pond or temple, but a forest.

He struggled to his feet, feeling as if every bone in his body was broken, and every step he took was excruciatingly painful.

Ning Que had no choice but to find a place to sit down. He touched his body and found a storage bag inside his clothes. He then probed into it with his spiritual sense.

All the spirits inside are still there.

This puzzled him greatly.

"How did I escape? Did someone save me?"

Unable to figure it out, he simply stopped thinking about it, took out a healing pill, and swallowed it.

He circulated his qi and breath, slowly recovering from his injuries.

However, the recovery from the injury was extremely slow.

"At this rate, it will probably take three to five years to fully recover."

Ning Que's cultivation of Blood Qi was already suppressed by the Buddhist cultivator, and then he was captured by that Buddhist cultivator. The other party chanted Buddhist scriptures for so long that it almost damaged his foundation.

Just as Ning Que was pondering what to do, he suddenly heard a soft, rustling sound.

"Someone's coming."

He immediately became alert and used his spiritual sense to investigate, discovering that there was a shaman army encampment not far away.

There were only about three hundred people inside, none of them Qi Refining cultivators, only a few Qi Opening Realm cultivators.

"I've actually returned to the Land of Witchcraft?" Ning Que was somewhat surprised.

He thought he had just been randomly thrown into a desolate mountain, but he never expected to have returned to the land of witchcraft.

"Perfect, I'll use their blood to heal my injuries."

Ning Que cultivates the [Blood Qi] path, and besides pills, blood is actually a better spiritual substance for repairing injuries.

With this in mind, Ning Que got up and flew towards the encampment.

…………

The location where the witch army was stationed.

Ordinary people, armed with scimitars and arrows, remained constantly vigilant of their surroundings.

The cultivators at the Enlightenment Realm were drinking and making merry in their tents, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

"Hahaha, drink!"

Just as the several Enlightened Realm sorcerers were still toasting and drinking, a series of wails came from outside.

Then a man angrily shouted:

"What's all the noise about!"

Having said that, he was about to get up, pick up the curved knife at his feet, and teach those noisy people a lesson.

The next instant, the tent curtains were blown away by the gale, and a figure covered in blood descended from the sky.

"Who goes there!"

The sorcerer at the head of the table suddenly stood up, smashing his wine cup on the ground, spilling wine everywhere.

He reacted extremely quickly, his right hand already resting on the large hammer at his waist.

But it's better to be faster than to be lacking.

He made a fist, and the blood mist in the air suddenly condensed, transforming into a large blood-red hand that directly grasped the sorcerer cultivator in its palm.

"Snap!"

The cultivator at the Awakening Realm was crushed to death, exploding into a cloud of blood mist, which Ning Que absorbed.

"This...this is a Blood Qi cultivator!"

The other cultivators at the Enlightenment Realm immediately recognized Ning Que's lineage.

The other cultivators were sobered up by the fright and, unable to muster any will to resist, turned and fled.

However, how could a few cultivators at the Enlightenment Realm escape under the noses of a Qi Refining cultivator?

Then Ning Que chanted an incantation and made hand seals, and blood mist immediately filled the camp.

"ah--!"

Screams rose and fell as the bodies of the cultivators visibly withered, their skin wrinkled, their eye sockets sunken, and in an instant they turned into several dried corpses.

Ning Que withdrew the blood mist and closed his eyes to assess his internal condition. His injuries were indeed healing much faster than with elixirs, but he was still far from fully recovered.

After killing the cultivator at the Enlightenment Realm, he turned his attention to the mortals.

Although the blood of these mortals cannot compare to that of cultivators, it is better than nothing.