Chapter 1850: Heavenly Nurturing (II)

Li Ximing pondered the new perspective for some time.

Eventually, he replied, "You mean… he stressed that an Imperial Monarch cannot bow to another, yet also stressed that Tianwu regarded himself as a True Monarch rather than an Imperial Monarch. Was he implying that this is not the source of his conflict with the Underworld's judiciary… that something else is wrong? Are they forcing his growth… or is it… an old grievance from his time as Tianwu?"

After some thought, he ventured, "Did the Underworld's judiciary… play some dishonorable role in the fall of Ning and Chu, the two states of the Douxuan lineage?"

Li Zhouwei said quietly, "Wei belonged to Douxuan as well."

That silenced Li Ximing. Belated realization dawned, and he raised his brows. "Wei and Chu stood as the northern and southern dynasties. If both came from Douxuan, does that not mean… the mortal world lay within the grasp of this one Profundity? Truly formidable."

Li Zhouwei hesitated for a moment before replying, "It is too early to pursue these questions. Yang Zhuo has ambitions, and sooner or later we will see signs of them. There is another matter I have been considering.

"How certain are the Underworld's judiciary and Luoxia of their ability to raise someone to True Monarch? How difficult is it to control a True Monarch? And how many means do they have to bring one down?"

Resting a hand on his cup, he mused, "The Zhao Emperor also attained the Dao. But why did he perish so suddenly? What difference is there between the Metallic Essence of a deceased True Monarch or immortal attaining the Dao once more… and a new cultivator ascending to a Golden Position?

"In other words, when Jade True attained the Dao and withdrew unscathed, was it because he had the strength and standing to do so? Or was it because… those great figures above needed someone to occupy Jade True?"

Li Zhouwei paced a few steps and said thoughtfully, "Beyond a few renowned powers, only the great families know the answers buried in history. Besides the Tuoba and Shilou families, there are the Tao, Wei, and Ch'i Families… Once we fight our way into Lower Luo and advance our cultivation further, we should learn something."

Li Ximing nodded and said thoughtfully, "Still, viewed this way, it can only be a good thing… As long as the Song Emperor stands with you, you will not have to watch your back. The northern campaign will be much less fraught, and you can focus on seeking opportunities."

As they sorted through their gains, Li Zhouwei took the spirit treasure [Heavenly Nurturing Urn] from his sleeve and placed it before Li Ximing with a smile. "He certainly… gave generously!"

As a gift from the Song Emperor, the treasure naturally had no master, and Li Zhouwei had refined it in the short time since their return. It remained the same little brown urn, but pale golden lines had appeared upon it, running vertically like wood grain. The dark grains of rice inside shifted as it moved, their texture resembling gemstones.

Li Ximing took it from him. As its mystics passed to him, he immediately felt a bond through his palm, as intimate as flesh and blood. He tilted it slightly, hearing the gemlike grains chime against one another, yet no matter what he did, they would not spill out. Then he noticed an inscription on its base.

[My Spirit Dwells in the Lowlands].

Though the Song Emperor had said its Dao lineage was lost, the [Heavenly Nurturing Urn] possessed no fewer than four mystics!

Its foremost divine ability was [Gathering and Storing], described as 'The people's gathering and storing begin with me; their harvests and burdens all come to me.' A movement of the urn's mouth released countless rays of gathering light. Apart from lightning, fire, metal and baleful qi, everything would be drawn irresistibly inside. Water Virtue was especially susceptible, rushing into the urn with no hope of return.

Unlike ordinary mystics of collection, it could take in more than inanimate objects. It could even gather light, electrical manifestations, illusions, intangible blessings, and even living beings!

A thought flickered through Li Ximing's mind as Li Zhouwei said with a smile, "Buddhist cultivators will suffer against this, especially those of the Compassion Dao… They like establishing little Buddhist lands and bringing forth Dharma Protectors and Great Masters. Faced with this spirit treasure, a Maha might fare somewhat better, but a Merciful One could find all his arts rendered useless, his summoned spirit forms immediately drifting down into the urn.

"I tested it briefly. By my estimate, if we beat a Merciful One half to death, we could take him inside as well, leaving him utterly beyond help. Though it falls short of the [Huai River Map] in this respect, it is still a remarkable technique!"

Li Ximing nodded slightly, then suddenly remarked, "In that case, this treasure should also be exceptionally useful against [Supreme Shaman] and [Xiukui]."

He continued examining the treasure. Its next mystic, [Luminous Harmony], was somewhat secondary but equally unusual. [Luminous Harmony] closely resembled [Renewal], the ability of Li Ximing's [Supplementary Court Verdant Profound Cauldron] of [Gathering Wood].

[Renewal] allowed damaged spirit plants within the cauldron to recover slowly and brought spirit items together. [Luminous Harmony], however, enabled the [Heavenly Nurturing Urn] to hold vast quantities of spirit materials, gradually condensing them into [Sacrificial Grain Soil].

This [Sacrificial Grain Soil] was nurtured within the urn and served as its presiding spirit. Its nature lay in [Horn Wood] and [Treasure Earth]. It could nourish spirit roots, resonate with them, and preserve their nature and life!

Another ability, [Preservation and Nurturing], could preserve lives, though it had an unusual restriction. It could act only upon the Guest Position, never the Principal Position. If a cultivator suffered grave injuries and his dharma body collapsed, the treasure's master could take him inside and temporarily stabilize his condition.

But if the treasure's master themself was injured, this ability could not simply be used on them. Someone else would first have to take over the spirit treasure and become its master in their place.

The final mystic, [Grand Sacrifice], was much rarer. It served to conduct sacrifices and extract blood qi… By using [Grand Sacrifice] to gather three or four hundred cultivators and produce blood qi from them, one could heal injuries or nourish other things.

This gave Li Ximing pause, and a thought soon crossed his mind.

Judging by how this mystic works, if combined with the first divine ability, [Luminous Harmony]… taking in a gravely wounded Purple Mansion Realm cultivator, stripping away his divine abilities, and extracting his essence… should also be possible in theory.

He could not help smiling wryly at the thought. "[Supreme Shaman] is barbaric, and [Xiukui] deals in ghosts and monsters. It is hardly surprising that they possess a spirit treasure like this."

Li Zhouwei understood what he meant and shook his head. "It does not seem to me that this originally belonged to the Underworld's judiciary."

Rather than dwell on the matter, he smiled and said, "I think this spirit treasure owes its might to [Gathering and Storing], but its most remarkable power is [Luminous Harmony]!"

Li Ximing pondered for a moment. Then understanding seemed to dawn, and his eyes lit up. "You mean… that spirit root?!"

Li Zhouwei nodded with a smile. "Purple Mansion Realm spirit roots are difficult to find; they are exceedingly rare in this world. When one was obtained from the Eastern Fire Grotto Heaven back then, it immediately fell into the Golden Feather Sect's hands. Yet Foundation Establishment Realm spirit roots are hardly a rarity in our family. But setting aside cultivation and innate foundation, do we not already have a spirit plant that has awakened its intelligence?"

During her travels, Li Qinghong had obtained a spirit-root persimmon tree in Jiangnan that had developed spiritual awareness. Such plant cultivators were rare and could scarcely attain significant power without centuries or millennia of growth, so its cultivation was extremely low. After being transplanted to the clan, it had merely provided the juniors with the occasional taste of spirit persimmons.

With this spirit treasure, however, things would be different. Li Ximing carefully examined the faintly glowing treasure in his hands, growing increasingly fond of it. He nodded repeatedly and said approvingly, "Spirit paddies and materials of that sort are what our clan has in greatest abundance. Their grade may be low, but if quantity can make up for quality, there is no harm in using plenty! Let us spend a few months nurturing this [Sacrificial Grain Soil] first.

"If [Sacrificial Grain Soil] can preserve a spirit root's nature and life, it should produce some extraordinary effects when paired with one that possesses intelligence!"

Li Zhouwei smiled and replied, "I shall leave this to you, granduncle. I will go choose my arts now and enter seclusion to cultivate!"