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Heavenly Torch spoke decisively, and at this point, Li Hong could no longer decline.
The Beast Cultivation Sect took Nine Li Cave Heaven as its Mountain Gate. Although it was affiliated with the Nine Li Sect as an outer sect, who would dare to underestimate it? Moreover, each generation had a divine beast from the Nine Li Sect serving as the deputy sect leader, which further strengthened the ties between the Nine Li Sect and the Beast Cultivation Sect. A casual remark from Heavenly Torch caught everyone's attention, leading to a joyful atmosphere.
That night, the Beast Cultivation Sect was officially established, with Du Yizi as the sect leader and Heavenly Torch, Jiang Xuanzi, and Sister Sheyu as deputy sect leaders, overseeing the myriad of beasts. Guests gathered in abundance at White Jade Plaza, where the mountain breeze blew gently, and fine wine flowed freely, allowing everyone to enjoy themselves before parting ways.
The banquet continued until Chou Time. After that, guests gradually made their way to various Inns under the guidance of Chuxuan and others. Li Hong brought Heavenly Torch to the twenty-eighth floor of Chengxian Pavilion, preparing to find a way to seal the Forbidden Stone Beast.
The Dragon and Phoenix were still lazily coiled between the columns and ceiling. With a flash of movement, Li Hong and the shrunken form of Heavenly Torch quietly stood in the center of the hall on the twenty-eighth floor.
The vast hall was open on all sides, supported by large pillars of Han Baiyu, each thick enough for two people to embrace. From this angle, one could see the dragon winding around one of the stone pillars, its tail touching the ground while its large head rested lazily on its own body. The phoenix was nowhere to be seen, but flames flickered atop the Crimson Gate, likely indicating its presence.
Upon closer inspection, Li Hong let out a soft exclamation and turned to look at Heavenly Torch.
With a pained expression in her eyes, Heavenly Torch nodded at Li Hong, indicating that he was correct in his thoughts.
It turned out that Li Hongxiu, being highly perceptive, had immediately discerned the intricacies of the Forbidden Stone Beast.
The construction of this Forbidden Stone Beast was quite clever; it was carved from high-quality hidden spirit material known as Black Jade, shaped like a beast. The surface and interior were inscribed with countless magical arrays, while at its core lay sealed the true essences of a dragon and a phoenix. Once activated, these arrays would continuously supply energy from these essences. Coupled with the inherent power of the dragon and phoenix essences, it could instantly regain its form with strength equivalent to at least half of what it possessed when alive.
This Dragon and Phoenix must have advanced to become a Low-Level Celestial Beast in life; the dragon had fully developed five claws, signifying its noble lineage as a true Divine Dragon. Even if its power was reduced by half, it would still be beyond any Nascent Soul Stage cultivator's ability to withstand. However, those above the Heavenly Fusion Stage might stand a chance. But if that happened here, everything would be thrown into chaos; all would be destroyed in battle. Therefore, regardless of who it was—even someone like the covetous Yandao Demon Lord—would have to think twice before acting recklessly.
At that moment, Li Hong hesitated. When Ling Xuzi left in haste, he only had time to pass on the legacy of the Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade, without informing him how to close off the Forbidden Stone Beast. The entire area of the Abode of the Sect Leader on the Twenty-Eighth Floor remained tightly sealed like an iron barrel, surrounded by panels of mysterious iron and restrictions so strong that even someone with a powerful divine consciousness like Li Hong could not penetrate it.
Could he really engage in battle with them now? That wouldn’t do!
The dragon and phoenix had already noticed their presence. The black dragon stirred slightly; its large head lowered as it circled around a pillar towards Li Hong and Heavenly Torch, its eyes suddenly shining with intensity.
Li Hong was startled and flew out of the hallway like lightning, hovering at the edge of the railing. Seeing that Heavenly Torch was still in the hallway, he hurriedly sent a message to Heavenly Torch to retreat quickly. Unexpectedly, Heavenly Torch shook his head and said, "Don't worry, I sense that this guy's hostility isn't strong. He's hesitating; I'll try to communicate with him."
Heavenly Torch shook his head and let out a long stream of Dragon Language.
The black dragon's eyes actually showed signs of joy as it swung its large head twice and also spoke in Dragon Language.
Since Li Hong had received the blood essence of Heavenly Torch, he could fully understand Dragon Language. He heard Heavenly Torch say:
"Brother, I am the guardian Divine Dragon of Nine Li Sect. We are all from the same lineage, so hold on before you act. Let me speak first. This person behind me is the new Sect Master of Nine Li Sect. As the guardian Divine Dragon of the Sect Master’s residence, according to the rules, you should let him in."
The black dragon stiffened its neck and bluntly replied, "I don't care about any Nine Li Sect or who the Sect Master is. As long as he can seal me, he can naturally enter."
"Ah?" Heavenly Torch's mouth dropped open, his dragon face clearly stunned. He couldn't bring himself to ask the black dragon, "Brother, how can I seal you?"
Unexpectedly, Li Hong asked that question instead, speaking in Dragon Language: "Senior Dragon, if this continues, your stone body will consume too much energy. Over time, you will dissipate. Why not tell me how to seal you? I can seal you up, and you can continue to sleep peacefully in your stone body. Wouldn't that be better?"
Heavenly Torch suddenly realized and cast an appreciative glance at Li Hong.
The black dragon indeed hesitated. At that moment, the phoenix moved closer to the black dragon and blinked its bright eyes twice, clearly conveying human words into Li Hong's heart. The phoenix said, "Old Black is a lazy dragon who loves to sleep. I'm not! It took a lot of effort to get him out; do you think we would easily be tricked back into being sealed for another ten thousand years? Dream on!"
With a whoosh, a fireball shot straight toward Li Hong's face.
This was true Phoenix True Fire. While others would have panicked, Li Hong was now in his Five Element Transformation form and remained calm. He extended his jade-like white palm, and the fireball entered his body effortlessly as he absorbed it.
A pure essence of fiery spiritual energy made Li Hong feel immensely satisfied. He even leisurely shook his crimson robe before slowly cupping his hands and saying, "Senior Phoenix, with this skill of mine, you should know that you can't do anything to me. Why bother? Must it come to Mutual Destruction?"
The phoenix blinked its bright eyes, pondered for a moment, retreated a wing's distance, and said, "Anyway, I won't let you pass. What are you going to do about it?"
Li Hong couldn't help but smile bitterly, but at the same time, he felt a spark of inspiration.
As the Forbidden Stone Beast of this place, although the Dragon and Phoenix still had their spirits intact and could communicate, they must have left an imprint in their souls to eliminate any invading enemies. However, at this moment, the Dragon and Phoenix showed no real signs of taking action, indicating that they had already understood their identities.
With a thought, the Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade that had been hidden deep in his heart was forcibly summoned by Li Hong. A bright red flame flickered on Li Hong's palm like a blazing meteor from the sky.
Li Hong smiled and said, "I understand now. To enter this place, one must have a token. Is it the Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade in my hand?"
The expressions of the Dragon and Phoenix changed simultaneously.
Li Hong knew he had guessed correctly, but guessing right didn't mean he knew how to unseal them. So he smiled slightly and began to bargain with the Dragon and Phoenix leisurely.
Heavenly Torch watched in astonishment as the Dragon and Phoenix demanded an exorbitant price while Li Hong countered with offers.
After about a quarter of an hour, Li Hong laughed heartily, "It's settled then!"
It turned out that the black dragon didn't mind; sealing was just sealing. The Divine Dragon clan loved to sleep anyway; without a body, they were just passing time. However, the phoenix was quite reluctant. Years ago, when it had just advanced to a Low-Level Celestial Beast, it was killed by a Seasoned Master and forcibly sealed into a Black Jade Stone Beast as two stone statues guarding the entrance. After being sealed for twenty thousand years inside, it could see outside through the stone but couldn't move at all, which was understandably frustrating. Seeing that the new leader was easy to talk to and wanted to relocate the Mountain Gate, the phoenix realized this was a golden opportunity and pressured Li Hong to find a way to free itself.
Li Hong's mind turned quickly as he came up with an idea. He could place both of them into a treasure as Artifact Spirits. As for the vessel, his Five Elements Shuttle was of excellent quality and complete in elements but lacked an Artifact Spirit—perfect for that black dragon. As long as he sealed a divine beast's spirit inside, the Five Elements Shuttle would immediately advance to a Low-Level Celestial Artifact. For the black dragon, this meant no more worries about energy shortages; the Five Elements Shuttle would become its body, allowing it to come out frequently to fight rather than being stuck as a guard dog.
As for the phoenix, since it was fire-elemental, Li Hong decided to choose an excellent fire-elemental treasure from Temple City Treasure Mountain to transfer the phoenix's spirit into. This way, that treasure would advance to a Low-Level Celestial Artifact and serve as the Nine Li Sect's treasured artifact.
Indeed, both the dragon and phoenix were very satisfied. The dragon immediately began to curry favor with its new master and said in Dragon Language, "Master, you should officially refine the Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade. As long as you refine it properly and leave a bit of your Divine Thought on the Restrictions at the door, this place will be yours to enter and exit freely."
"Very good." Li Hong smiled contentedly, "Please wait for me a moment; I will officially refine the Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade."
Walking through the corridor, he reached the Chengxian Pavilion, where there were numerous specialized closed-door training rooms. The Spiritual Energy here was abundant and only open to new disciples. Back when Li Hong first joined the Nine Li Sect, he was brought here to enter a closed-door training session to communicate with the bridge between heaven and earth, so he had a deep impression of it. He immediately chose a training room and entered.
All the training rooms here were the same; the floor featured a small Spirit Gathering Array, with a Reed Mat placed in the center, and nothing else. Once the door was closed, Li Hong realized that the Spiritual Energy was so rich that it made him feel slightly uncomfortable. It turned out that each of these training rooms had not been used for a long time, causing the Spiritual Energy to accumulate continuously, resulting in the Li Fire Aura being nearly saturated.
Noticing this situation, Li Hong's eyes lit up as he quickly cast a sound transmission talisman, commanding Chuxuan to lead Zhong Ting, Chongxiao, and all new disciples to come here and each choose a training room. He then closed the door again, absorbing all the Li Fire Aura and activating the Restrictions to officially begin refining the Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade.
His mind quickly connected with the Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade, and this time the Artifact Spirit no longer resisted him; in an instant, many Divine Thoughts were transmitted over.
Scenes appeared in Li Hong's mind, and he suddenly understood that the Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade was Grandmaster Jilianzi's life treasure, truly a mid-level Celestial Artifact. During his ascension, Seasoned Master severed the connection between himself and the Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade using Great Deity powers, leaving it as a treasure of inheritance for the Jiu Li Sect on Earth.
The Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade had already gone through sixteen generations, and now Li Hong was inheriting it as the seventeenth generation. All previous masters either ascended, passed away from old age, or voluntarily relinquished their position to pass it on to the next leader; only Ling Xuzi had died suddenly, which left the Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade in deep sorrow. Now that Li Hong had possessed it for quite some time, Ling Xuzi's lingering Divine Thought gradually faded away, and the Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade finally accepted him.
Although he understood this point, Li Hong still felt a moment of sadness before he began refining in earnest.
The Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade actually did not have a fixed form. When Seasoned Master mastered the Li Fire Scripture, he transformed all Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures used to forge this Extreme Treasure into a flowing True Fire form using Great Deity powers. This approach was quite innovative and demonstrated remarkable skill in weapon forging. Because there were nine moves utilizing blade intent, it was referred to as "the blade."
These nine moves were powerful enough to split mountains and sever seas; the final move was particularly harmonious and transformative, manifesting Boundless True Fire and Fire Sea, surprisingly similar to Li Hong's Five Element Transformation. The nine moves were "Chasing Wind," "Soul Severing," "Slay Dragon," "Asura," "Transforming Butterfly," "Shattered Moon," "Heavenly Rift," "Collapse," and finally "Endless True Fire of Heaven and Earth."
Among them, "Chasing Wind," "Soul Severing," and "Slay Dragon" emphasized extreme strength and ferocity. In contrast, "Asura," "Transforming Butterfly," and "Shattered Moon" focused on fluidity in blade force—both real and illusory—intertwined in an ethereal manner. As for "Heavenly Rift" and "Collapse," they returned to raw power, emphasizing destruction beneath a single strike. Finally, "Endless True Fire of Heaven and Earth" penetrated everywhere above and below. Each of these nine moves contained blade intent with its own methods of application—progressively advancing from strength to softness then back to strength before achieving a balance of both.
Li Hong generally did not emphasize practical combat techniques; he preferred quick resolutions through brute force—attacking weaknesses unexpectedly. Sometimes he felt that using his brain was better than shouting about fighting or killing. While this was an advantage for him, it also served as a drawback. However, at this moment, these Nine Moves of Blade Intent piqued his interest.
The space in the training room was small; he could not practice his blade techniques physically but could mentally rehearse them within his Divine Consciousness. As long as his blade intent was solidified, he could execute them outside effortlessly. Thus, Li Hong closed his eyes and sat cross-legged, repeatedly experiencing trials within his mind using Divine Consciousness. He practiced each move one by one; the first three powerful techniques flowed seamlessly together without taking much time. However, when he reached the fourth move "Asura," he suddenly hit a snag.
"Shura" emphasizes the art of drifting left and right, moving back and forth, appearing and disappearing, with a blade intent that is both severing and connecting, like a rabbit springing and a hawk swooping. This is the first move where the blade intent transitions from rigid to flexible. No matter how hard Li Hong tries, he cannot embody that "flexibility." After practicing in his mind for a long time, it still feels incredibly stiff; it does not resemble "Shura" at all, but rather "Vajra."
Opening his eyes, Li Hong sighed, knowing that mastering the Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade would take time and could not be rushed. He stood up, opened the Restrictions, and stepped out of the closed training room.
Outside, it was just dawn.
In the next moment, Li Hong was already standing before the Crimson Gate. He knew very well that all the secrets within the sect leader's residence were hidden in the last secret chamber, which he had entered before. However, at that time, he did not dare to look closely or pay attention. Today, he intended to study it thoroughly.
He slowly reached out his hand. Before he could touch the Crimson Gate, an invisible layer of Restrictions immediately shimmered like rippling blue water. However, before attacking the Restrictions, it automatically recognized Li Hong's aura; in fact, it recognized the aura of the Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade.
The rippling blue water-like Restrictions remained still for a moment, seemingly waiting for Li Hong's next move.
Li Hong understood this instinctively. He closed his eyes and carefully sensed it. Sure enough, after a while, he found the core part of the Restrictions. There he left a trace of his Divine Thought, which was Li Hong's unique Divine Consciousness wave frequency.
Suddenly, the Restrictions transformed from blue to bright red light flashing intensely. Moments later, it unexpectedly became colorful, with red, green, blue, gold, and yellow flashing continuously. In an instant, the Restrictions simulated Li Hong's unique Five Elements Power and retained his Divine Thought.
With a thought, the Restrictions immediately concealed themselves. Li Hong gently pushed, and the Crimson Gate opened effortlessly.
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