Chapter 379 270: Who Is the Number 1 Demon Dao

Like fleeting clouds and fleeting time, ten years passed in the blink of an eye.

On the peak of Cyan Sheep Mountain, the morning mist had yet to disperse. Li Conglong stood at the cliff's edge, his hands clasped behind his back. The howling mountain wind sent his robes fluttering.

Ten years of arduous cultivation had etched a weathered look onto his face. He now wore a short beard, but his gaze was even more profound and reserved than in his youth.

True Qi flowed through his Inner Mansion, surging like a mighty river. As it completed its Circulation, it brimmed with vitality, silently nourishing his Cultivation Furnace like a gentle rain.

At this moment, Li Conglong was now clearly at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer!

Li Conglong raised his right hand, palm facing down, and aimed it toward a patch of forest far below the cliff.

"Rise."

He let out a soft cry as Spiritual Light flickered in his palm.

RUMBLE—

A muffled, thunderous tremor came from deep within the earth. The earth and rock at the mountain's base churned, and a mound of earth a hundred feet in diameter slowly rose, lifting three feet off the ground to hover in mid-air.

The mound, complete with its grass, trees, and rocks, was lush and green. It swayed gently with the surging earth qi.

Sweat beaded on Li Conglong's temples. Maintaining this Daoist Skill consumed a great deal of his True Qi.

He took a deep breath and thought,

'What a technique, this Earth-Overturning and Mountain-Moving Spell.'

Li Conglong withdrew his power to regulate his breath, a sharp light glinting in his eyes.

This spell could channel earth qi and move the very roots of a mountain. If he used it with a few decent Magical Artifacts to set up an array, he could connect the entirety of Cyan Sheep Mountain with the Li Family's ancestral home.

Then, the mountain would be the home, and the home would be the mountain. Even if an expert at the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer were to attack, they might not be able to break through the grand array.

'Though the Spiritual Qi on Cyan Sheep Mountain is thin, I had a fateful encounter with the immortal path here, so I must have some fortune on my side. Perhaps, in the unseen world, the Celestial Lord truly is watching over me.'

Li Conglong muttered to himself, his gaze fixed on the distance.

That was the direction of Iron Horse Pass.

His older brother, Li Conghu, had fallen at that gateway to hell.

His father, Li Zhengde, had also died at the hands of demon beasts.

Now, of the Li Family's direct bloodline, only he, his younger brother Li Conglin, and his younger sister Li Caiwei remained.

'Big Brother, Father...'

Li Conglong clenched his fists. All these years, he had cultivated day and night without a moment's rest, precisely so he could support the Li Family.

'The Li Family can't fall on my watch. Otherwise, in the underworld, how could I ever face Father?'

'With the Mountain Protection Array, and with a few vitality-catalyzing spells from the Celestial Nourishment True Preservation Esoteric Arts to fertilize the Spirit Fields and make the Spirit Grass flourish, the Li Family will surely prosper for the next fifty years!'

As Li Conglong calculated in his heart, his confidence gradually grew.

There were three major powers around Luoyue Lake.

The Xu Family, who had migrated from the north, had an Elder Ancestor at the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer presiding over their clan. Their heritage was deep-rooted, they knew the art of Alchemy, and they were highly respected.

The Luo Family was a branch lineage left behind by the previous Hall Master of Ten Thousand Forms. They were the most powerful, managing several Marketplaces. All the Spiritual Materials, such as demon bones and demon flesh transported from Iron Horse Pass, had to go through them.

Among the three families, the Li Family alone was the weakest.

His older brother, Li Conghu, who had held the hope of breaking through to the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer, had been conscripted to defend the pass. Word of his death had arrived a few years ago.

Later, his father, Li Zhengde, also perished in a tide of demon beasts. If Li Conglong, the family's pillar of support, were to die prematurely as well, the Li Family's path to survival would likely be cut off completely.

'I have to take good care of Conglin...'

With this thought, Li Conglong rode a clear breeze and swept down from the cliff.

As he passed the ridges between fields, tenant farmers bowed and reported on this year's harvest.

The weather this year had been favorable, with no major disasters. They should be able to gather enough to pay the heavy autumn tax to Wanxiang Hall.

Li Conglong listened, but his expression showed no joy.

He gazed at the Mortals toiling in the fields. These people bowed their heads to him, respectfully calling him "Master."

'But before the Immortal Masters of Wanxiang Hall, am I, Li Conglong, not just a slave, toiling like an ox or a horse?'

'My life is in the hands of others, my survival never guaranteed from one day to the next.'

'I can endure this feeling, but I will absolutely not let Conglin, or any future descendant of the Li Clan, live the same kind of life!'

Back at the ancestral home, Li Conglong had just sat down for tea when a Steward rushed in to report:

"Clan Head, someone from the Xu Family is here. They say... it's a marriage proposal."

"A marriage proposal?"

Li Conglong's eyelids lowered as his fingers gently stroked his teacup.

'A daughter of the Li Family marrying a son of the Xu Family is, in truth, marrying up.'

'The problem is, Caiwei is from the direct bloodline, while the suitor from the Xu Family is from a concubine's line.'

'If word of this got out, people would inevitably mock the Li Family for selling their daughter for glory.'

"Second Brother."

A clear voice rang out.

Li Conglong looked up and saw Li Caiwei standing gracefully in the hall's doorway.

Ten years had passed. The little girl from back then had blossomed into a young woman, her features picturesque and her figure slender.

"Caiwei, you..."

"I am willing to marry him."

Li Caiwei walked into the hall with a gentle smile, sat down across from her brother, her expression calm and open.

Li Conglong looked at his younger sister, his heart filled with a mixture of emotions. After a long moment, it all turned into a deep sigh:

"It is I who has wronged you."

"Being born into the Li Family, one must naturally do their part for the family."

Li Caiwei's smile faded as she said seriously,

"Besides, there's nothing wrong with marrying into the Xu Family. They know Alchemy and have abundant clan resources. For a woman like me, being able to marry into their family is a blessing."

Li Conglong knew this was just his sensible sister trying not to make things too difficult for him.

Caiwei saw the Li Family's situation clearly.

Rather than letting her brother agonize over her marriage, she decided it was better to take the initiative and agree.

After the marriage alliance, the Li and Xu families would be related, making many things more convenient in the future.

"I will prepare a dowry for you, so you can have a grand wedding."

Li Conglong said in a low voice.

After seeing Caiwei off, Li Conglong went to his secret chamber alone.

In recent years, as he managed the family's affairs, he had spoken less and less, growing to prefer being alone.

Only in this dim, small room could he take off the mask of the clan head and go back to being the Li Conglong who cultivated arduously atop Cyan Sheep Mountain.

'The family's assets are so meager... What can I possibly give as a dowry...'

Li Conglong sighed softly.

'If the dowry is too small or insignificant, the Xu Family will inevitably look down on us.'

'My sister's life there will surely be difficult.'

He pondered for a long time before taking an object from a hidden box.

It was a piece of lightning-struck wood.

It was about two feet long, with charred black branches, shaped like a Qiu dragon. Faint lightning patterns could be seen crackling across its surface.

This was something his father, Li Zhengde, had specifically left for him before he died. He had originally intended to ask an Artifact Refiner in the Marketplace to forge it into a Flying Sword, a Magical Artifact, for Li Conglong.

But now that Li Conglong had obtained the Celestial Nourishment True Preservation Esoteric Arts, breaking through to the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer or even the Eighth Layer was not without hope.

Once he mastered the offensive Daoist Skills within the arts, he might not even need this piece of lightning-struck wood.

'Father...'

Li Conglong held the lightning-struck wood in both hands. The rims of his eyes reddened as he thought of how his father had painstakingly built up the family's assets.

Just then, something unexpected happened!

His Inner Mansion stirred, and his verdant True Qi surged out on its own, wrapping around the piece of lightning-struck wood like a sheet of silk.

CRACKLE—

The lightning patterns flashed, and wood qi burst forth.

In the span of just a few breaths, the entire piece of lightning-struck wood was completely refined by the verdant True Qi, transforming into an incomparably pure azure gleam that merged into Li Conglong's body!

Stunned, Li Conglong closed his eyes and looked inward.

He saw that the True Qi within his Inner Mansion had surged dramatically. His foundation, which had been somewhat unstable, solidified in an instant, becoming far purer and more condensed than before.

The True Qi surged through his meridians like an unstoppable dragon or tiger.

'This is... the Great Perfection of the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer?'

Li Conglong couldn't believe it.

'I only just broke through to the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, and my foundation wasn't even stable. How could I have reached the Realm of Perfection just from a piece of lightning-struck wood?'

He snapped his eyes open, a brilliant light shooting from them.

'If I reach the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer, the Li Family's situation will be completely different!'

...

...

Within the [Foundation Establishment Realm], auspicious mists drifted about as profound mysteries flowed.

Jiang Yi sat cross-legged in a grand hall, a circular wheel spinning above his head, casting down a clear, brilliant light.

Outside the hall, immortal cranes and luan birds seemed to dance in the air while jade pavilions and terraces appeared and disappeared within the clouds and mist, creating a scene of infinite majesty.

With his eyes lowered, his gaze seemed to pierce through the void, landing upon the secret chamber on the peak of Cyan Sheep Mountain.

Jiang Yi revealed a satisfied expression.

"As expected, the Wood Armor Technique is truly domineering. Worthy of its place as the first of the Heavenly Stems, ruling over the four seasons."

As he witnessed the entire process of Li Conglong refining the lightning-struck wood, the corners of Jiang Yi's lips curled up. His understanding of the Wood Armor Technique's fundamental mysteries deepened once again, condensing into massive seal-script characters that appeared and vanished in an instant.

In the heavens, Jia Wood is thunder and dragons.

On the earth, it is the pillar and the beam, representing the majestic power that reaches for the sky.

Therefore, a Cultivator who learns the Wood Armor Technique can often command all the wood qi in the world, absorbing it for their own use.

All the grass and trees of the mortal world become their eyes and limbs. With a single thought, they can drain the life force from a hundred miles around or stimulate the growth of all living things.

Jiang Yi's gaze was profound, and the Copper Lamp before him flickered uncertainly.

"Before the [Immortal Dao] separated the [Five Elements] from the inner and outer aspects of Yin and Yang, the 'Wood Element' was the first choice of the Demon Dao. Anyone who cultivated the Wood Armor Technique would leave a trail of utter destruction—not a blade of grass would grow, mountains would crumble, the earth would crack, and all life force would be extinguished. Later, a Sword Immortal who occupied the position of [Metal Virtue] took action, slaying the True Monarch of [Wood Virtue], and only then was its terrible might contained."

The reason he had passed the Wood Armor Technique to Li Conglong was precisely to test the methods of the Ancient Demon Cultivators.

'Can the ancient Demon Dao, which cultivates [Blood Qi], truly compete with the orthodox law that cultivates [Wood Virtue]?'

This was a question to which Jiang Yi was very interested in finding the answer.