CHAPTER 185: XIAO CE

Li Yanchu sped through the ruins, carrying the massive, heavy jujube tree on his shoulder. Yet his speed was completely unaffected. From afar, he was nothing but a faint point of light, vanishing into the darkness.

Blind Zhou didn’t dare pursue too closely and soon lost sight of him altogether. As for Mei Xuanzi and the yellow-robed Daoist, they were even further behind and stood no chance of catching up.

In the darkness of night, terrifying dangers lurked unseen. Once they realized they’d lost track of Li Yanchu, they quickly turned back to regroup with their team.

After all, if the divine nature of the Daoist temple hall’s protective artifacts were to fade, they could end up as nothing more than piles of white bones, their flesh inexplicably gone.

The ruins of the Blissful Land of Mount Jinting were vast, and they were full of towering broken walls and crumbling stone structures.

After an hour of rapid movement, Li Yanchu finally spotted a Daoist temple hall in the distance, faintly illuminated with a soft glow.

Pretty lucky, he thought to himself.

With a flicker of movement, he dashed toward the palace hall. He had considered carrying the jujube tree directly back to the Gongshu family’s hall, letting them deal with the fallout and shifting the danger onto them.

After all, his fragment of jade was still in Gongshu Peiyu’s possession.

But on second thought, Gongshu Peiyu was cold-hearted by nature. There was no guarantee he’d avenge Master Wu Hu, and might even let the jujube tree fall into the enemy’s hands. So Li Yanchu decided not to get involved in their struggle at all.

The opposing group had clearly targeted the Gongshu family in advance, and Mei Xuanzi of the Eastern Sea already knew the location of their Daoist temple hall. Let them devour each other like dogs.

Li Yanchu arrived at the Daoist temple hall. Inside, the eternal lamp emitted a gentle glow, illuminating the entire space in a calm, steady light. There was not the slightest trace of gloom or menace.

The hall was completely empty. Li Yanchu walked in with the jujube tree on his shoulder and carefully inspected the space. He soon discovered a divine artifact within the hall; a small, ancient incense burner, elegant in form.

Its divine energy was even more potent than the octagonal copper bell Li Yanchu already carried.

Looks like no one has been here yet, Li Yanchu thought.

Otherwise, this divine artifact would’ve already been taken. And sure enough, there were no signs of intrusion anywhere in the hall.

Li Yanchu calmed his mind and turned his attention to the jujube tree. He had searched the hall for artifacts first not just for their power, but to verify the safety of the location and to ensure it wasn’t a temporary hideout for that enemy group.

If he’d walked right into them, things could’ve gotten awkward or worse. He now used his Qi Sight to examine the jujube tree, but he found nothing unusual.

It was, without a doubt, a true treasure of heaven and earth. It radiated vitality and spirit qi, but there were no signs of sinister or demonic qi. It was not some cursed or demonic spirit-wood that had gained sentience.

Next, Li Yanchu took out a Plague-Dispelling Talisman and stuck it to the tree. This talisman was designed to counter poisons, miasma, and all manner of toxic creatures. If the jujube tree were poisonous, the talisman would react.

But, once applied, the talisman remained inert, showing no signs of any reaction. Seeing this, Li Yanchu finally felt at ease.

He reached out and picked a jujube from the tree, gave it a quick wipe, and popped it straight into his mouth. It was sweet and refreshing to taste.

A surge of pure spirit qi rushed into his body, and in an instant, he felt completely reinvigorated, full of vitality. All his exhaustion vanished without a trace. The qi and blood within his body also became denser and more robust.

"This jujube is miraculous!" Li Yanchu exclaimed in surprise.

He had thought, with so many fruits on the tree, the effect of each might be diluted, and it might not be anything particularly impressive. He hadn’t expected it to be this potent!

After eating just two jujubes, Li Yanchu already felt his spirit qi overflowing, to the point that he needed to sit down and circulate it through meditation before taking any more.

The enhancement to his physical body was also immediate and obvious, strengthening his qi and blood, replenishing his spirit qi.

No doubt, this was a true treasure of the Blissful Land of Mount Jinting.

Li Yanchu sat down and began circulating his spirit qi using the method described in the Yellow Court Classic.

He guided his breath carefully, and led the pure spirit essence into his dantian and sea of qi.

After fully absorbing the energy, he opened his eyes again. His gaze was now radiant with divine light.

"This is even more effective than a Qi-Booster Pill!" Li Yanchu grinned with delight.

For cultivators in the second realm, Qi-Booster Pills had long lost their effect. But these jujubes, infused with the natural spirit essence of the Blissful Land, could be directly absorbed without any alchemical processing.

Looking at the bountiful tree full of jujubes, Li Yanchu felt incredibly satisfied.

However, the tree was massive, and even with his strength, he couldn’t possibly finish eating it all anytime soon. And it was far too large to keep carrying around everywhere.

A thoughtful look appeared in Li Yanchu’s eyes. "I guess I’ll just have to stay here and cultivate for now."

He set the jujube tree down beside him and began to meditate again, practicing the Yellow Court Classic.

With the help of the jujubes, his cultivation progressed at a pace utterly unmatched by anything before. In just one night of training, he gained more than three months’ worth of results.

The various Daoist techniques and divine abilities he had learned could now be wielded with even greater power. Li Yanchu meditated in the hall all through the night.

The next day, he still felt energetic and vigorous.

If it weren’t for the Sun Veil cloaking his aura, the qi and blood radiating from his body would have resembled a blazing sun. His whole being pulsed with surging vitality, and that was the effect of consuming so many spirit-infused jujubes.

He took a closer look at the ancient incense burner in his hands and discovered that it still contained residual prayer power from past incense offerings. This small and unassuming burner was a support-type divine artifact.

For a cultivator who practiced Deity Summoning Art, it would offer notable amplification effects to enhance communication with the Divine Dao.

At present, Li Yanchu had three Daoist temple hall artifacts in his possession: the octagonal copper bell, the pendant, and now this incense burner.

He thought for a moment and decided not to enhance any of them just yet.

For one, many of the artifacts found in Daoist temple halls were already badly damaged, and he wanted to find something with a stronger divine essence for enhancement.

Secondly, he didn’t currently lack defensive or support-type artifacts. His talismanic armor and Clearheart Jade Pendant were both top-tier protective artifacts. If he came across an offensive-type artifact, though, that would be worth considering.

Just as he was deep in cultivation, someone suddenly entered through the main gate. It was a young man with two swords at his waist, his gaze sharp and piercing.

Li Yanchu immediately noticed that the youth carried several Daoist temple hall artifacts: a black belt, a string of prayer beads, and a stone token hanging from his waist. all radiating divine essence.

When the twin-bladed youth caught sight of the jujube tree inside the Daoist temple hall, his expression visibly changed.

Then he suddenly chuckled. “Last night I heard the Gongshu family and the disciples of Mount Mao fought over a jujube tree... And in the end, some young Daoist walked away with the whole thing.”

“Didn’t expect to find it here.” His tone carried a clear sense of mockery and amusement.

Li Yanchu stood up calmly and replied in a cool, composed voice, “Yes. That was me.”

At that moment, he also had a realization. So the ambushers last night were from the Mount Mao Sect.

The twin-bladed youth locked eyes with Li Yanchu, his gaze intense.

“To snatch the jujube tree from under both the Gongshu family and Mount Mao Sect, and escape completely unscathed... Daoist Master, your skills are truly impressive. My name is Xiao Ce. I'd like to request a sparring match with you.”