572: Chapter 572: Brainstorming

Black Death Marsh.

Lianyue Immortal Palace.

This time, Liu Xuan did not use the Gu Sha Immortal Revered Master Puppet Incarnation, but instead came with an Essence Blood Incarnation at the Early Stage of the Nascent Soul.

Inside the Yuehua Hall, the Lianyue Ghost King stared at Liu Xuan, looking him up and down and from side to side. Had her Dharma Idol not visited the Liu Residence and seen Liu Xuan before, she would have almost mistaken this for Liu Xuan's true body rather than an Incarnation.

'The Physical Body and soul are so perfectly compatible, without a single flaw. Even a Spirit Transformation Dao Lord would find this difficult to achieve!'

'Aside from the difference in cultivation aura, there is almost no distinction from the true body I saw back then.'

'No!' The Lianyue Ghost King's eyes narrowed slightly. 'Since his Incarnation can reach such a level of realism, then perhaps what I saw in the basement of the Liu Residence back then was also an Incarnation...'

Liu Xuan didn't know that the Lianyue Ghost King had imagined so much in such a short time. He had always been very wary of this female ghost with her terrifying cultivation. Seeing her solemn expression, he thought she was secretly plotting against him.

This place was the Lianyue Ghost King's lair; the longer he stayed, the more insecure he felt. Liu Xuan took out a wooden box from his person, opened it, and displayed it to her.

"This is a three-thousand-year-old zhengyang flower, reaching the High Grade of the fourth rank. Fellow Daoist Ghost King Lian Yue, please take a look."

"Three thousand years!" A hint of surprise appeared on Ghost King Lian Yue's fair and exquisite face. With a wave of her hand, she drew the zhengyang flower toward her to inspect it.

"The stem is purple-gold like jade with dark gold flowing patterns, and the center of the nine petals glows with crimson-gold light while the edges are a deep ink-black. It truly is a three-thousand-year-old zhengyang flower!"

The mystic yang soul-condensing flower is actually another name for the zhengyang flower; the only difference lies in the age. A zhengyang flower over a thousand years old is called a mystic yang soul-condensing flower.

The zhengyang flower is a very special Spirit Medicine. Under normal circumstances, it can only reach the third rank at most and will wither when it nears a thousand years. Only by growing in special places where Yin and Yang blend can it break through its limits and transform into a mystic yang soul-condensing flower.

The mystic yang soul-condensing flower has the effect of condensing the soul, solidifying the form, and nourishing the Origin for yin-soul ghost Cultivators.

To the Lianyue Ghost King, a three-thousand-year-old, fourth-rank High Grade mystic yang soul-condensing flower was no less valuable than some fifth-rank Heaven And Earth Treasures.

"Senior... what do you mean by this?"

The Lianyue Ghost King closed the lid but was in no hurry to put it away. For Liu Xuan to bring out such a precious item, he must have a request.

"Release those Cultivators from Biyou Pool, and I will give you another mystic yang soul-condensing flower of the same grade when the time comes," Liu Xuan said.

The Lianyue Ghost King understood. She had abducted those Cultivators from Demon Saint Xuanyu because she guessed that Liu Xuan might need them.

But she hadn't expected Liu Xuan to be so generous, offering two rare fourth-rank High Grade spirit flowers right off the bat!

She had originally done it on a whim and hadn't thought about exchanging it for any benefits from Liu Xuan; she only wanted to forge a good relationship. She didn't expect such an unexpected harvest.

The Lianyue Ghost King waved her hand, and a mirror condensed above the hall. Through the mirror, one could see countless Cultivators densely packed and bound by Yin Qi chains.

"If I may ask, Senior, why are you willing to pay such a high price to rescue them?" The Lianyue Ghost King's eyes were full of confusion. "Even if they know they were saved by you, there won't be many who are grateful, and some of them were even your enemies."

"You misunderstand!" Liu Xuan shook his head and interrupted. "It's not that I want to rescue them, but that my Revered Master, Daoist Lord Lihuo, is the one saving them!"

Seeing the Lianyue Ghost King's confusion deepen, Liu Xuan explained, "I am now the Eldest Senior Brother of the Lihuo Lineage. Revered Master is recovering from heavy injuries, so I am acting on his behalf to manage all the authority of the Southern Border's Beast Taming Sect."

The Lianyue Ghost King's expression changed several times, and she quickly understood Liu Xuan's plan. However, she had one more question. "Senior, I wonder where Daoist Lord Lihuo is now and how his injuries are?"

Daoist Lord Lihuo had a large amount of his Origin drained by Demon Saint Xuanyu, and using the life-saving item bestowed by Lady Yaoguang also came with a price. At the very end, the Lianyue Ghost King had even taken the opportunity to deal him a heavy blow.

He was indeed heavily injured, and the damage to his foundation was difficult to recover from. But a starved camel is still bigger than a horse; Daoist Lord Lihuo had not been pushed to a dead end, let alone the brink of death.

He still possessed the combat power of a Spirit Transformation Dao Lord. Even if he encountered Liu Xuan, it was uncertain who would win or lose.

"Revered Master's injuries are extremely severe, and I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to recover in a short time!" A purple-gold flash appeared in Liu Xuan's hand, turning into a small tripod. "He has already entrusted the entire Lihuo Lineage to me."

The Lianyue Ghost King's gaze froze. She recognized this Spirit Treasure; it was Daoist Lord Lihuo's only fifth-rank Spirit Treasure, and it had played a very significant role when he fought Demon Saint Xuanyu.

'Daoist Lord Lihuo is dead?!'

This thought immediately flashed through the Lianyue Ghost King's mind. To a Dao Monarch, a fifth-rank Spirit Treasure was their lifeblood. Unless they were dead or completely controlled, it would never be taken by someone else.

'Did Daoist Lord Lihuo fall into Liu Xuan's trap after escaping?'

In an instant, the Lianyue Ghost King's mind raced, considering countless possibilities.

'Perhaps, the person with the greatest killing intent toward Daoist Lord Lihuo all along wasn't Demon Saint Xuanyu, but... Liu Xuan!'

'How did he do it?'

Looking back at the battle at Biyou Pool, although Daoist Lord Lihuo's injuries were extremely severe, it was mostly a depletion of his Origin; his overall strength hadn't decreased too much.

Even if she wanted to forcibly kill him, it would surely cause a huge commotion and would require the cost of her own Origin.

The desperate counterattack of a Dao Monarch would trigger a terrifying backlash from the Heavenly Dao; it would be very difficult for one to die silently.

Liu Xuan was very satisfied with the Lianyue Ghost King's reaction. He brought out the lihuo heaven-burning tripod precisely for this effect.

The reason the Lianyue Ghost King misunderstood Liu Xuan as a hidden powerhouse was partly due to her own overthinking and partly due to Liu Xuan's occasional subtle hints.

"Fellow Daoist Ghost King Lian Yue, my wife Peach Blossom has already begun her Breakthrough. If any accidents occur in the future, I ask for your assistance."

Liu Xuan gave a solemn bow. "I, Liu, have always been clear about my debts and grudges. If you help me, I certainly won't let you lose out. I can have as many Spirit Medicines like this three-thousand-year-old mystic yang soul-condensing flower as I want."

The mystic yang soul-condensing flower was rare and precious to others, but for Liu Xuan, obtaining it was not difficult.

As long as the 'vitality' accumulated in the wither-thrive life-death cauldron was sufficient, he truly could have as many as he wanted.

The wither-thrive life-death cauldron could ignore the growth environment to rapidly force the growth of spirit plants. Even if he spent money to buy ordinary Spirit Medicines to absorb their vitality to ripen the mystic yang soul-condensing flower, the cost was almost negligible; the only thing to consider was the efficiency.

With the current ripening speed of the wither-thrive life-death cauldron, it would take at most one month—thirty days—to ripen a single three-thousand-year-old mystic yang soul-condensing flower. That averaged out to a hundred years of medicinal efficacy per day.

"What are you saying, Senior? You and I have long been friends. Helping each other is only right; talking about rewards is too vulgar."

The Lianyue Ghost King followed Liu Xuan's example and returned the bow solemnly. "Rest assured, if anything happens, just have You Ruo notify me, and this Junior will certainly arrive at the first moment."

As she spoke, she carefully tucked the box containing the mystic yang soul-condensing flower into her sleeve.