Li Mu fell into deep thought, carefully recalling the future scenes that the Time Luck Spirit Turtle had glimpsed.
The Nine Demon Sect used the Purple Rhythm Heavenly Fire as bait, then ambushed them. The entire process lasted for more than ten days.
There was a problem with this.
The ambush location was only a few thousand miles away from Yin Yang Valley, not too far or too close to Barren Ancient City! More than ten days were definitely enough for the Cultivators of Barren Ancient City to rush over upon hearing the news.
What prevented those Cultivators from coming to their aid?
Based on this speculation, the true purpose of the Nine Demon Sect was not just an ambush; it was likely an attempt to swallow the entire Southern Wilderness Spirit Domain. Perhaps two battlefields occurred simultaneously, which prevented Barren Ancient City from providing support?
“What exactly gave the Nine Demon Sect such a big appetite?” Given the current strength and foundation of the Nine Demon Sect, swallowing the Southern Wilderness Spirit Domain would be like a snake trying to swallow an elephant.
Suddenly, Li Mu's eyes lit up.
When he, Qingwei Venerable, and Xuanling Venerable were trapped, the distant Nine Demon Sect Disciples seemed to be wearing identical standardized armor.
“Demon armor! That's right, that's it!”
Wu Tian Demon Ancestor's Undying Demon Lice Armor left an extremely deep impression on Li Mu; he instantly connected everything.
Since the Nine Demon Sect possessed a Seven-Tier Demonic Artifact like the Undying Demon Lice Armor, and also a large quantity of lower-tier, Five-Tier, and Six-Tier Undying Demon Lice Armor, given the Nine Demon Sect's nature, they would definitely mass-produce it. The Nine Demon Sect's true trump card was this demonic armor!
Li Mu's mind instantly became clear.
“It really is not advisable to go out casually!”
Without the Time Luck Spirit Turtle's prior foresight, he would have paid an extremely heavy price for this trip.
After deducing the Nine Demon Sect's methods, the next question surfaced in his mind.
How to respond?
After a brief thought, Li Mu directly chose to give up; with his strength alone, he couldn't resist at all. For this trip, to retrieve the Purple Rhythm Heavenly Fire, Xuanling Venerable had truly spared no effort, secretly dispatching many people.
However, he was too weak to even block the Nine Demon Sect's ambush. His individual role was too limited. Such a large-scale battle had to be left to the major forces of the Southern Wilderness to handle.
All he could do was inform them of this news in advance, and nothing more.
After resting for a day in the room, Xue'er, worried about Li Mu's health, stayed by his side for the entire day. Without Li Mu's instructions, as soon as his throat moved, Xue'er had already brought hot water.
It was during this day that Li Mu made up his mind.
No matter what, he would definitely cure the Devilish Qi on Senior Jin Ling!
After a day of rest, Li Mu returned to the Artifact Refining Room and completed all the remaining orders from the Wanbao Pavilion.
When he was free, he would tend to the Spiritual Plants and tease Xue'er. His days were quite leisurely.
Two months passed in a blink of an eye.
“Master Li.”
Qingwei Venerable's Divine Thought transmission came from outside Yin Yang Valley. Li Mu quickly directed a Puppet to lead Qingwei Venerable and Xuanling Venerable to the stone pavilion.
The three met again. Qingwei Venerable was clearly in a good mood. As soon as he sat down, he pulled out a jade box from his embrace and placed it on the table.
“Master Li, look at what I picked up.”
His words were full of smiles.
Li Mu raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze falling on the jade box.
【Golden Profound Spiritual Plant】
【Grade: Six-Tier Spiritual Plant】
【Characteristics: Gold-Earth Fusion, Gold Spirit Domain, Sharp Gold Wings, Gold Marrow Spirit Fruit.】
【Status: Just awakened from slumber, insufficient spirituality.】
【The Golden Profound Spiritual Plant is nurtured within the golden origin Spirit Domain. It contains the 'earth's' depth and the 'gold's' sharpness, complementing each other. It is a unique masterpiece of Heaven and Earth. It can be used to comprehend the Dao of gold and earth, or refined into Medicinal Pills. With the thickness of the thick earth and the sharpness of gold, supplemented by its accompanying vast righteous Qi, it can dispel myriad evil spirits.】
Under the Heavenly Talent - Identifying Myriad Spirits, there was nothing Li Mu couldn't discern.
Although this Golden Profound Spiritual Plant was a masterpiece of Heaven and Earth, ordinary people truly wouldn't know how to use it. However, he had clearly exposed his identity as an Artifact Refiner, so why would Qingwei Venerable bring an Alchemy treasure?
Thinking of this, Li Mu's gaze towards Qingwei Venerable changed slightly.
Could it be that he had already discovered something?
Qingwei Venerable laughed heartily and pushed the bag towards Li Mu.
“Actually, it's not really a 撿漏.”
“That day, when I heard you mention the Yao Race, I thought of the injured Snow Fox Clan Lord and felt this was an excellent Opportunity to bridge the relationship between the two.”
“There are many hidden conflicts between the All-Demon Tribes and our Human Race, leading to many losses. Especially the Yao Race's medicinal ingredients, which are numerous and of excellent quality, but the Yao Race doesn't have many Alchemists. And our Human Race has countless Alchemists, but lacks this batch of medicinal ingredients provided by the All-Demon Tribes, which is a pity.”
“With the Nine Demon Sect stirring, if our Human Race and the Yao Race can take this Opportunity to reconcile, it will be a legacy for thousands of years.”
“To be honest, I obtained this medicinal ingredient by chance during this trip. Master Li, since you can contact the Yao Race, why not help me deliver this item to the Yao Race to assist them in refining Medicinal Pills to break the deadlock, thus showing our Human Race's sincerity.”
Hearing this, Li Mu finally understood. It was rare for Qingwei Venerable to have such a thought.
Unfortunately, this Six-Tier Spiritual Plant was indeed rare among the Human Race, but in the vast mountains where the myriad races resided, such things, though few, were not absent. To truly realize its value, it would probably require him to refine it into a Medicinal Pill himself.
After a moment of contemplation, Li Mu accepted the Golden Profound Spiritual Plant.
“I'll keep this Spirit Medicine for now. Allow me to find an Alchemist to refine it into a healing Medicinal Pill, and then I'll give it to Senior Jin Ling. How about that?”
Qingwei Venerable laughed heartily and nodded repeatedly: “Alright! I trust Master Li with his work.”
“Oh, by the way, Senior, when you obtained this Spiritual Plant, did you pay attention to its origin and the Spiritual Plant seeds?” Li Mu thought of something and asked Qingwei Venerable with concern.
“About that, Master Li, I know you like to collect high-tier spirit seeds. I specifically paid attention, but unfortunately, I only got the Spiritual Plant, not its spirit seeds,” Qingwei Venerable said awkwardly.
Qingwei Venerable's attentiveness to Li Mu had only one real reason: to win him over and make their relationship even closer.
The conflict between the All-Demon Tribes and the Human Race had a long history; how could a single medicinal ingredient resolve it?
This medicinal ingredient was not to curry favor with the Snow Fox Clan, but to curry favor with Li Mu! Giving this Six-Tier medicinal ingredient to Li Mu was to let him “privately keep” it, and then give it to Xue'er's mother for her to dispose of as she wished.
The goal was simply to push an already intimate relationship even further.
Qingwei Venerable wanted Li Mu to understand that he took his matters to heart, even the smallest ones.
“This Six-Tier Spiritual Plant is of extraordinary quality. If it had spirit seeds, it would definitely provide Six-Tier gold attribute plant spirit light clusters in the future. The only pity is that there's only the mature plant, no spirit seeds!”
Li Mu pondered in his mind. The high-tier Spiritual Plants he had collected, once this batch of Spiritual Plants matured and were harvested, he would almost certainly advance to the Nascent Soul Realm. At that time, should he continue to cultivate the existing Spiritual Plants, or switch to higher-tier new Spiritual Plants?
If he advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm, the plant spirit attributes provided by the existing Spiritual Plants would drop by one tier, which would likely be a drop in the bucket for the cultivation improvement of a Transformation God cultivator.
Just as Li Mu was deep in thought, Xuanling Venerable beside him spoke.
“Master Li, to reclaim the Purple Rhythm Heavenly Fire, forces have already been secretly gathered to ascertain the whereabouts of Flame Underworld Demon Venerable!”
“I wonder how Master Li's Artifact Refining progress is. I very much hope to use the new Magic Treasure to completely defeat the Nine Demon Sect and wash away the shame!”
Seeing Xuanling Venerable's gnashing teeth and deep hatred, Li Mu was slightly stunned, recalling once again the future scenes given by the Time Luck Spirit Turtle.
Li Mu immediately completely lost the desire to provoke the Nine Demon Sect. He had no thoughts at all; he could even give up the Purple Rhythm Heavenly Fire!
“Once the Spirit Treasure that Master Li is helping me refine is in hand, I will definitely let them see my power.” Xuanling Venerable looked at Li Mu, a hint of hope in his eyes.
With two six-tier spirit treasures in hand, their power would undoubtedly be considerable. At that time, he would definitely kill his way through the Nine Demon Sect, seven in and seven out, to vent the hatred in his heart!
With his Sect annihilated, Xuanling Venerable was single-mindedly focused on avenging his Sect.
“I have not failed your trust!” Li Mu smiled brightly, conjuring two Spirit Treasures from the nine storage spiritual pearl—a round shield and a fire needle—and presented them to Xuanling Venerable.
“Good treasures! Good treasures!” Xuanling Venerable's eyes lit up, immediately captivated by the two powerful six-tier spirit treasures, one for offense and one for defense, and praised them repeatedly.
“The two Spirit Treasures are: the Fire Round Shield and the Fire Origin Needle. Their Spiritual Veins are connected, and their artifact forms are of the same origin. They can convert spiritual power for both offense and defense, achieving double the combat power. Senior, quickly refine them!” Li Mu introduced with a smile.
“Good, good!” Xuanling Venerable accepted the two Spirit Treasures and quickly began refining them, his aura instantly increasing by several tenths.
Qingwei Venerable, standing by, watched with an envious expression, wishing he could take their place.
Xuanling Venerable laughed heartily: “Excellent! Truly good treasures. With the help of these two, it's just right to teach those demonic brats a lesson!”
“Master Li, this time, if we act together, we will definitely be able to help you retrieve the Purple Rhythm Heavenly Fire from Flame Underworld Demon Venerable!” Xuanling Venerable looked at Li Mu gratefully, speaking from the bottom of his heart.
Hearing this, Li Mu's brows furrowed.
If you want to go, go by yourself. I'm not going to my death!
The results deduced by the Time Luck Spirit Turtle were vivid in his mind, and Li Mu was unwilling to go to his death. He immediately said, “Senior, this matter might have to be postponed for now, and I also don't recommend you go to the Nine Demon Sect for revenge right now, and definitely don't go looking for Flame Underworld Demon Venerable!”
Xuanling Venerable, who had just been overjoyed, immediately changed his expression and hastily asked, “Why?”
Li Mu frowned and pondered. Naturally, he wouldn't reveal the scenes seen by the Time Luck Spirit Turtle, so he could only find another excuse.
After a brief thought, Li Mu said with a solemn expression: “Senior, you should know that in the Dao of Artifact Refining, my skill is acceptable. Regardless of Spiritual Artifacts or Demonic Artifacts, I have some judgment techniques. I can even extrapolate and reverse-deduce some refining methods for Spiritual Artifacts and Demonic Artifacts.”
Qingwei Venerable and Xuanling Venerable nodded repeatedly.
Li Mu's words were too modest. As a Six-Tier Grandmaster Refiner, there were virtually no secrets regarding Spiritual Artifacts or Demonic Artifacts in his eyes!
“When I last clashed with Wu Tian Demon Ancestor, the demonic armor he wore was extraordinary. However, such demonic armor is also found on Demonic Lords and Demonic Lords, just at different tiers.” Speaking of this, Li Mu paused, looking at Qingwei Venerable and Xuanling Venerable, already prepared to be questioned.
Xuanling Venerable had just acquired two new Spirit Treasures and didn't ask any questions. He didn't even know why Li Mu was saying all this. His eyes were already consumed by hatred; he only wanted to eliminate the Nine Demon Sect.
Li Mu's objection made Xuanling Venerable a bit impatient, causing him to overlook the details and directly retort: “So what if they are Demonic Artifacts? Even if they possess more demonic armor, the Spirit Treasures Master Li refined are not inferior to theirs.”
Qingwei Venerable clearly thought of something. His brows furrowed, and his face showed a grim expression. He suddenly realized the seriousness of the matter.
Li Mu smiled and shook his head: “I just said that Artifact Refiners have the possibility of deducing lower-tier Spirit Treasures based on high-tier Spirit Treasures.”
“Senior, think about it. If the Nine Demon Sect mastered the methods for mass-producing Sharp Weapons like the Undying Demon Lice Armor, why would they not use them? How could Seven-Tier Demonic Armor, Six-Tier Demonic Armor, and Five-Tier Demonic Armor not be mass-produced?”
At Li Mu's question, Xuanling Venerable instantly understood, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
In the last clash, the Hundred Refinements Sect was not just defeated by the Nine Demon Sect; the demonic armor they wore played an indispensable role. If such treasures were mass-produced, the consequences would be unimaginable, far beyond what ordinary organizations could withstand.
Xuanling Venerable gritted his teeth, his fists clenched tight.
He hated it so much!
He had thought that by asking Li Mu to refine two six-tier spirit treasures, revenge would be within reach, but who knew...
“Master Li, is there really no way at all?” Xuanling Venerable looked at Li Mu with a hopeful expression, pleadingly asking.
Seeing that this strong dose of medicine hadn't made Xuanling Venerable give up, Li Mu added another strong dose: “The Purple Rhythm Heavenly Fire is a Heavenly Dao treasure. Your relationship with me has probably been known by the Nine Demon Sect. Why do you think, by such a coincidence, at this very moment, you found the whereabouts of the Purple Rhythm Heavenly Fire?”
Li Mu's question directly made Xuanling Venerable's fists crackle as he clenched them.
He desperately wanted to reclaim the Purple Rhythm Heavenly Fire, but Li Mu's analysis mercilessly pushed back the timeline indefinitely. That was a supreme treasure once held by the Hundred Refinements Sect, and it had fallen into the Nine Demon Sect's hands just like that. He was unwilling.
Qingwei Venerable, beside him, quickly spoke to persuade him. “Don't be anxious. As long as you're still alive, there'll be opportunities for revenge.”
“If you rush into it and fall into the Nine Demon Sect's trap... to put it bluntly, now only you are left of the Hundred Refinements Sect. If you're gone, who will remember the Hundred Refinements Sect's prestige?”
With that, Qingwei Venerable lowered his voice and transmitted a message: “Xuan Ling, you were a bit rude today. Master Li kindly reminded you, and you haven't properly thanked him.”
Xuanling Venerable suddenly realized, quickly thanked Li Mu, and then stood up: “Thank you for the reminder, Master Li. I was a bit out of sorts today. Please forgive me, Master Li.”
“I should also carefully consider my future countermeasures.”
“The Purple Rhythm Heavenly Fire cannot fall to the Nine Demon Sect, and the hatred for the Sect's destruction cannot go unavenged. As long as I live, this thought will never cease!”
After speaking, Xuanling Venerable apologized to Li Mu and hastily departed.
Clearly, this news was fatal to him. Watching Xuanling Venerable leave, Qingwei Venerable also sighed.
He didn't care about the ownership of the Purple Rhythm Heavenly Fire. His focus was naturally different from Xuanling Venerable's. He looked at Li Mu and said solemnly: “Master Li, if what you say is true, if the Nine Demon Sect truly masters the method for mass-producing demonic armor, I'm afraid... their goal is not to target you and me, but to covet the entire Southern Wilderness Spirit Domain!”
“Indeed!” Li Mu nodded in agreement. No matter what, he wouldn't leave the valley for a short time. After the next batch of Spiritual Plants was harvested, he would definitely move to a more distant place, far away from the Nine Demon Sect.
Once the war in the Southern Wilderness Spirit Domain began, it would mean that the entire situation in the Southern Wilderness would change. Opportunities and risks would double, and at that time, it would inevitably be a bloodbath.
Qingwei Venerable pondered for a moment, then stood up to bid farewell to Li Mu: “Master Li, this matter is of great importance. I'll take my leave first!”
As soon as his voice fell, Qingwei Venerable flew out of Yin Yang Sect, chasing after Xuanling Venerable.
After seeing Qingwei Venerable off, Li Mu looked into the distance.
Currently, the Southern Wilderness Spirit Domain was already turbulent, and he also needed to quickly prepare all sorts of methods.
Although Yin Yang Valley had many means and was temporarily safe, who could guarantee that the Nine Demon Sect wouldn't turn desperate and send a large army to retaliate against him?
It was time to put Spiritual Vessels Refining on the agenda.
“Xue'er, guard the Spirit Valley well. If anyone from Wanbao Pavilion comes, let them in directly.” Li Mu looked at Xue'er, who was serving beside him, and instructed.
Xue'er hastily asked: “Lord Li, what are you going to do?”
Li Mu showed a confident smile: “I'm going to try refining a Spiritual Vessel for self-preservation! If Yin Yang Valley becomes uninhabitable, we'll all move out together!”
The Nine Demon Sect's intention to covet the Southern Wilderness Spirit Domain was no longer something Li Mu alone could control.
The strength of one person was ultimately too insignificant.
If the Southern Wilderness couldn't be held, Li Mu would take his belongings and run away.
“Lord Li, please take care of your health! Xue'er will be waiting outside. Call me if you need anything!” Xue'er watched Li Mu's back as he entered the Artifact Refining Room and quickly called out.
Li Mu waved his hand and plunged into the Artifact Refining Room. (End of Chapter)
