Chapter 1196: Qingxu (I)

Xia Shouyu nodded repeatedly before rushing straight into the temple. Li Ximing rose on the wind, concealed his presence, and circled the island.

There was nothing remarkable about the island. Its spiritual energy counted as excellent for the end of the sea, but it would only compare to the ancestral Lijing Mountain in Jiangnan . The earth vein was fairly solid, yet the land was barren with no minerals. Moreover, he could find neither fire veins nor water veins in the area.

No wonder Xia Shouyu's cultivation was impressive for this place, while her clothing still looked patched together.

There was a barren, spiritless rocky hill in the center, similar to Mount Xiping above the lake. It had no foothold in the great void and was merely a lump of earth occupying space, with two small holes dug into it. It seemed the cultivators of Qingxu Temple intended to spend generations moving mountains and reclaiming land to remove this hill entirely.

There was also nothing special within the temple. Even formations were pitifully scarce; its poverty was almost offensive. Only in the tallest hall did Li Ximing find a clay figure molded from the Treasure Earth spirit item Life-Bearing Stone. Judging from the aura, it depicted Xu Xiang of Xuanmiao Temple, though this one was even cruder than the one at Xuanmiao Temple. It was also standing rather than riding a donkey.

After surveying everything, Li Ximing had a clear understanding,

True Monarch Xu Xiang belonged to the Tongxuan Dao lineage. If Xuanmiao Temple had been founded upon Xu Xiang's true inheritance, then at best, Qingxu Temple was established by some minor disciple who had only the faintest connection. It is far too crude.

He stepped on light and returned above the temple, where an urgent bell toll echoed across the entire island. Monks in yellow robes with white-wrapped black shoes rushed along the mountain path, forming what looked like a sweeping yellow cloud.

Both sides of the temple path filled with kneeling people. Yellow-robed monks shoved the crowd aside, sending a few frail ones tumbling down the hillside with cracked heads and bloody faces. Yet those behind continued pushing forward to kneel. Several Qi Cultivation Realm monks flew about above them, shouting harsh reprimands.

Li Ximing glanced down and saw everything neatly arranged: rows of yellow robes and heads were bowed low. Xia Shouyu emerged supporting an elderly man in a hemp robe, followed by two middle-aged men.

Everyone knelt before the temple and called out reverently, "We humbly welcome the Daoist Master's arrival. This small temple at the end of the sea is overwhelmed and profoundly grateful..."

The old man's voice drifted through the air. The display was excessively grand, prompting Li Ximing to frown. He descended in a flash of light and manifested before the four of them.

A Daoist Master in platinum robes had appeared out of thin air. The old man shuddered in terror and pressed his knees firmly to the ground, still finding the situation unbelievable.

A great divine ability cultivator visiting the end of the sea? Could it be some Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator pretending...

But whether Li Ximing was Foundation Establishment Realm or Purple Mansion Realm, Qingxu Temple could offend neither. The old man kept his head down.

Li Ximing would not trouble a Qi Cultivation Realm cultivator and simply said, "There is no need for such fanfare. Dismiss everyone and just lead me inside."

Xia Shouyu immediately led the way. The paths within the temple were narrow, with many wooden beams fixed into the stone walls. No daylight reached inside, and only spell lamps kept it from being pitch black.

The old temple master hurried after them, his voice still trembling, "Reporting to the Daoist Master..."

Li Ximing waved his hand lightly and asked, "Which lineage do you follow? Where does it trace back to?"

The old man exchanged a glance with Xia Shouyu, then hastily replied, relying on what little he remembered from ancient texts, "Daoist Master, this humble cultivator Xia Sui is the current master of Qingxu Temple. Our Dao lineage originated in the Shu lands and was once affiliated with the Xumi Palace. Later, due to upheaval in the palace, it split into Qingxu heading east, Qingkong[1] heading south, and Qingzhen heading north. The three temples fled and eventually reached the Ju Sea[2].

"Afterward, heaven and earth changed, and the rules of the Dragon Clan's Sea-Herding shifted. The Ju Sea was seized by Daoist Master Caichi and renamed Peacock Sea. The oppression then grew heavier, forcing us to flee all the way to the end of the sea."

The incidents surrounding the Dragon Clan's Sea-Herding was something from very ancient times. The four seas had once been the dragons' territories. Various dragon kin had held fiefdoms in many smaller peripheral seas besides vast seas like Unison Sea and Scarlet Pristine Sea. They governed the seas in rotation, hence the name Sea-Herding.

Although the Dragon Clan’s territory had mostly dwindled to the Eastern Sea, with far fewer dragons remaining, seas beyond the Eastern Sea, such as Mu Sea and the Reef Seas, were still occupied by dragons known as Dragon Kings. Their fiefdoms had long since stabilized, and the term Sea-Herding was seldom mentioned anymore.

"What an ancient origin... not an easy inheritance to preserve... Qingkong Temple..."

Li Ximing understood clearly. The name Qingkong Temple was familiar to him. It had once been a small sect in Wu State, one where the white ape had even helped concoct medicine. Whether it was the same lineage was unclear, but it had been wiped out during the devil plague.

He said softly, "Qingkong Temple was annihilated decades ago. The northern region is now the territory of Buddhist cultivators. Most likely, your lineage is the only remnant left of Xumi Palace. Treasure it well."

From his expression, the old temple master believed much of it, yet the man before him was a mighty divine ability devil. Such people's words could not be trusted easily, so he could only nod meekly.

Li Ximing smiled. "Come. Take me around."

The two hurriedly led the way, yet Li Ximing walked even faster. He seemed more familiar with the place than they were as he went straight to a small pavilion. The two middle-aged men exchanged a nervous glance, and Xia Shouyu stumbled forward in fright, rushing ahead to open the door for him.

When the pavilion door opened, the scriptures and sect records stored within were completely revealed. Li Ximing did not step inside but instead said with a smile, "I have heard that the end of the sea has many strange pill-crafting methods inherited from ancient Daos, though most can no longer be used today. I am an alchemist. Might I examine them?"

Hearing this, Xia Shouyu felt a surge of panic, There's

no need to say it... I already knew he's an alchemist... that great king was blown apart by a single breath from him...

She quickly gathered the pill manuscripts and held them up respectfully. "The end of the sea is remote, and the pill Dao is not prosperous. Our lineage has no usable pill formulas. These are all ancient things, long unusable for cultivators of our low realm."

Truly impoverished.

Li Ximing finally understood that Qingxu Temple did not possess a single workable pill formula. The stack of ancient recipes in Xia Shouyu's arms were all placeholders, and the ones she flipped through next were nothing but the fabrications of later generations.

"......" He fell silent for a moment and then said quietly, "Your Qingxu Temple will gather ancient formulas from the surrounding regions for me. Collect any that seem even remotely plausible."

Xia Shouyu agreed repeatedly, but the old temple master had never witnessed what happened inside the cave. "This..."

Now that it came to real costs, he hesitated. Li Ximing started walking, and Xia Shouyu hurried after him, only to feel her sleeve suddenly grow heavy, as if several jade bottles had been placed inside.

"Consume these resources. Refine your cultivation to perfection as soon as possible so you may take the Essence Gathering Pill."

Joy rose within Xia Shouyu. The old temple master and the two men beside him seemed completely unaware of Li Ximing’s actions. She nodded quietly and returned to the courtyard gate. Everyone stood in place, respectfully waiting at his side.

The Daoist Master turned back, heavenly light flickering between his brows, and said with a smile, "I believe you already know how important this pill is to me. You have assisted greatly and suffered injuries as well, so allow me to repay you in part."

Xia Shouyu and the old temple master were overjoyed. The woman immediately fell to her knees with a thud and said reverently, "To assist the Daoist Master in emerging from seclusion and to witness an immortal pill appear in the world is already my fortune. How would I dare seek repayment?!"

Li Ximing ignored her. He flicked his golden-white sleeve lightly and said, "Relay my orders to the temple. Everyone is to remain inside for fourteen hours, burning incense and reciting scriptures. No one may leave, light fires, ride the wind, strike the bells, gather qi, or use tools of gold or silver."

Though Xia Shouyu did not fully understand, she still sent the two middle-aged men to carry out the order. They were clearly unused to taking her commands and looked resentful, but they did not dare speak.

Li Ximing noticed and pointed at her, speaking quietly, "You and the old temple master will stay here alone and must not leave."

Xia Shouyu and the old temple master exchanged a glance and agreed. The white-gold robed cultivator vanished. Fear slowly crept up on them as they sat in the courtyard without speaking.

1. Qingkong Temple was mentioned once in Chapter 395. ☜

2. 驹(Jū) means a young horse or colt, and by extension can refer to something small, young, or newly formed. ☜