SFS Chapter 24: Crimson Dragon
Chapter 24: Crimson Dragon
He Yu's hair was tied up, she was wearing a fur coat, and her face showed a hint of worry.
Li Wu nodded slightly upon hearing her form of address:
"How's business lately?"
He Yu sighed:
"Recently, the monsters in Chishan have started to cause trouble again. The beast-repelling powder is selling better and better, but the medicinal herbs you asked us to buy are becoming increasingly difficult to acquire."
"What happened? Tell me in detail?"
Li Wuzao no longer frequents the market; he's either in the Yue Kingdom or in seclusion in his cave, cultivating his skills.
The mountains where the cave is located are also far from Chishan, so they are unaware of the changes that have occurred at Chishan.
"I don't know the specifics either."
He Yu had long since stopped entering Chishan; this was all according to the independent cultivators who bought the beast-repelling powder.
"However, according to Fellow Daoist Niu Er, they saw Foundation Establishment demonic beasts on the outskirts of Chi Mountain."
Foundation Establishment Demon Beast?
Li Wu frowned slightly. The Foundation Establishment demonic beasts in Chishan always stayed inside, so why did they suddenly appear on the outside?
Moreover, how long has it been since the last monster disturbance?
In just two or three years, a series of monster disturbances have broken out, which is something that has never happened before.
Could something have happened inside Ikeyama?
Li Wu looked somewhat worried. Although the disturbance of the monsters in Chishan would undoubtedly make his beast-repelling powder business even better, the price of medicinal herbs he was buying would also increase accordingly.
With this increase and decrease, it's hard to say whether his profits will be good or bad.
If the news of Foundation Establishment demonic beasts appearing in the outer area is true, the rogue cultivators in the market will definitely not dare to enter Chishan again.
After all, this is no longer licking blood off a knife's edge, but pure suicide.
"Pukou Market is jointly controlled by five Foundation Establishment forces. They were the ones who quelled the last monster riot in Chishan. Perhaps they know what exactly happened in Chishan."
Li Wu thought for a moment and said in a deep voice:
"We need to make a trip to the Zhao family."
After thinking it over, Li Wu looked at He Yu, and a white light shone from his palm, revealing a jade slip.
"This jade slip contains the methods for refining several elixirs. Take it and familiarize yourself with them."
"The art of alchemy!"
Upon hearing this, He Yu's eyes lit up and he became excited.
For a rogue cultivator like her, the ultimate goal was never to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, but rather to learn a skill and have a stable income from spirit stones.
He Yu had been running the shop for Li Wu, and the income from spirit stones had long been stable, but he still longed to learn a skill.
After all, skills are what truly belong to you.
The long-awaited legacy has finally come to fruition.
He Yu was so excited that she became incoherent, her eyes reddened, and her voice trembled slightly:
"I have no way to repay your great kindness, shopkeeper... I will remember this kindness forever!"
Li Wu was taken aback by He Yu's unexpected action and quickly waved his hand, saying:
"You don't need to do this, I'm leaving now."
Having said that, he turned and left.
Li Wuji launched his flying shuttle and flew towards the Zhao family's direction.
…………
The Zhao family.
Li Wu met Zhao Qianyuan and inquired about Chishan.
Zhao Qianyuan did not hide anything about Chi Shan's condition, and said in a deep voice:
"Alas, Brother Li, you are unaware of this, but the Crimson Dragon in Chishan is about to break through to the Core Formation stage."
"A Crimson Dragon?" Li Wu asked, somewhat puzzled.
Zhao Qianyuan nodded slightly and explained:
"That crimson dragon is said to have a trace of true dragon bloodline, and it took a hundred years to refine its qi, three hundred years to build its foundation, and eight hundred years to form its core."
"Now, that red dragon has lived for more than seven hundred years and will soon break through to the Core Formation stage."
"Why did the Crimson Dragon instigate the chaos among the demonic beasts?" Li Wu asked again.
Zhao Qianyuan smiled calmly, poured himself a cup of spiritual tea, took a sip, and then slowly spoke:
"We cultivators must overcome our inner demons before we can break through to the Core Formation stage, while demon beasts must overcome tribulations of lightning in order to break through to the Core Formation stage."
"After a demon beast survives its tribulation, it is at its weakest. Therefore, just in case, the Crimson Dragon naturally sealed off Chishan Mountain, preventing us from stepping into the mountain range."
Upon hearing this, Li Wu revealed a knowing expression, pondering to himself:
"So, demonic beasts have to undergo a tribulation of lightning to break through to the Core Formation stage?"
"Can I absorb the power of heavenly lightning and transform it into water in the Thunder Pool?"
This thought suddenly arose in Li Wu's mind.
The bowl in his hand could hold water from the Thunder Pool, and perhaps it could also hold heavenly thunder.
Even the residual lightning after a thunderbolt strikes is a rare and precious spiritual object of the thunder element.
However, given how dangerous Chishan is now, Li Wu naturally dared not venture deep into it alone.
So, Li Wu looked up at Zhao Qianyuan and asked:
"So what do we do now? Just watch the crimson dragon seal off the pool mountain, survive the tribulation, and break through to the Core Formation stage?"
"Of course not."
Zhao Qianyuan snorted coldly, his gaze suddenly sharpening, and said in a deep voice:
"If that red dragon were to break through to the Core Formation stage, wouldn't the Pukou market be completely destroyed? The various families wouldn't stand idly by."
"That's good."
Upon hearing this, Li Wu breathed a sigh of relief, and then asked:
"May I ask, Brother Zhao, what plans do you all have?"
Zhao Qianyuan shook his head slightly and smiled:
"What plan? It's just a matter of setting a time and a place, getting everyone together, and then going into Chishan to kill that red dragon."
"Have you set a time and place?"
"Since we are going to kill a red dragon with true dragon blood and a perfect Foundation Establishment stage, we naturally need to make some preparations. So we set the date for the winter solstice, when all the cultivators will gather in the market."
The winter solstice is about six months from now.
"There should be enough time."
Li Wu naturally had to go with them into the mountains to kill the Crimson Dragon, since Heavenly Thunder was a rare and precious spiritual object.
We absolutely cannot let this opportunity pass us by.
"Once I break through to the fourth level of Qi Refining, I should be able to easily deal with the late-stage Qi Refining cultivators here. Even if I encounter Foundation Establishment demonic beasts, I am confident that I can escape unscathed with my lightning speed."
After a moment's calculation, Li Wu made up his mind.
He then bid farewell and left the Zhao family.
Upon returning to his cave, he immediately went into seclusion to prepare for breaking through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining.
…………
Li Wu absorbed the water from the Thunder Pool into his Qi Sea, connecting it with his mind and continuously refining it, until the thunderclouds and the water from the Thunder Pool came into contact and merged.
Its sound was thunderous, and its momentum was overwhelming.
The water in the Thunder Pool was extremely turbulent, and Li Wu dared not be careless in the slightest, slowly immersing it into his dantian.
During this period, Li Wu consumed many pills for the Qi Refining stage to nourish his spiritual energy.
After a long while, Li Wu's aura trembled, and lightning suddenly appeared around his body, leaving marks on the stone walls of the cave.
Li Wu slowly opened his eyes, a surge of joy in his heart:
"Finally, I've broken through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining."
He felt the thundercloud in his dantian, its power far greater than that of the early stage of Qi Refining.
"The division of realms in the Purple Mansion Golden Core Dao is truly rigorous; the difference between even a small realm is quite significant."
After sensing the situation for a while, Li Wu estimated that he could defeat two of his early-stage Qi Refining levels.
Then, he slowly walked out of the cave and saw snowflakes falling from the sky.
It dyes the world into one color.
Li Wuxin thought to himself:
"If you count the days, there are only a few days left until the winter solstice."
"Let's go check out the market first."
He summoned his flying shuttle, cast a spell, and sped towards the Zhao family.