The Mirror Legacy - Chapter 1478: Red Pheasant Surging Radiant (I)
Chapter 1478: Red Pheasant Surging Radiant (I)
The Great Saha King had a smile in his eyes, delight plain on his face. As a seasoned demon king, he could easily tell that the two before him shared a deep, long-standing bond. He felt immensely pleased.
My divine ability truly cannot be wrong. How could they be enemies? I saw early on that Brother Liu had deep fortune, so I guided him step by step and formed a good connection. Who would have thought that the returns would come so soon?!
Even without using my divine ability to test that tiger demon, I already knew its master would have surely been of help to me. If I had waited another year or two, Brother Liu would have brought this Li Ximing before me anyway. The pills would have been refined all the same!
He chuckled inwardly, unable to help but marvel at his own divine ability, All that suspicion and the process of building trust can be skipped entirely! With Brother Liu here to introduce us, how could I still fear him harming me?
He burst into laughter and quickly summoned his demonic creatures to lay out a grand banquet. In haste, he brought out wine and enthusiastically filled their cups.
“Old friends among men, how many ever meet again in the Purple Mansion Realm? The past flows away like water. Let us celebrate and drink!”
His words fit the moment well, and so Li Ximing and Liu Changdie drank together. Li Ximing smiled politely, while Liu Changdie let out a faint sigh, still somewhat emotional. Turning back, he said seriously, “Senior Fuxun has shown me kindness as heavy as a mountain and is someone I trust deeply. Ximing, you need not have any doubts.”
With that single sentence, he made everything clear. Li Ximing nodded quietly to show he understood. The demon king urged musicians to begin playing and said with a smile, “Currently, you need not worry about me breaking my word, nor do I need to worry about you exaggerating. With Fellow Daoist Yuanbian here, how could there be any intent to harm one another?”
That was indeed true, so Li Ximing nodded in reply. Liu Changdie’s reliability was beyond question. Then the demon king went on to recount their earlier plan in great detail. Grasping Liu Changdie’s hand, he said somewhat awkwardly, “The two of you are my own people, so I will not speak in empty words. Right now, I am rather short on resources, especially provisions of Radiant Fire. I hope you can help make up the shortfall.”
Liu Changdie nodded and said with a smile, “Good!”
He pressed on his storage pouch and thought for a moment. With a light flick of his hand, he brought out a stone box and opened it.
Inside, a red lotus, no larger than a palm, lay on lustrous blue stone. Its bud was just on the verge of blooming, full and rich. A stream of Radiant Fire energy circled around it like fluttering birds, weaving and gliding through the air.
Liu Changdie said softly, “This item is the [Crimson Shearwater Heart-Linked Flower]. It grows beneath the nests of Chongping Birds in the [Plume-Shedding Grounds]. I obtained it during my travels at the Foundation Establishment Realm and have kept it for many years. It is just right to repay you, senior.”
“My thanks, brother!”
Fuxun was overjoyed. He carefully handed the stone box over to Li Ximing. Liu Changdie, however, frowned slightly and said with some concern, “If it is only a single portion of Purple Mansion Realm spirit material, then no matter how skilled Ximing is, the resulting pill will still be limited by its foundation. To give that to the king of Zhuluo Kingdom… it would seem rather insulting.”
That was indeed true. Even if Li Ximing could produce six or seven pills in a single batch, at most they would come from only two portions of spirit material. To trade such a cost for spiritual flames, even with Fuxun offering protection for a time, the disparity in value was far too great.
Li Ximing was not worried about other consequences. What he feared was that the other party might truly have some backbone and simply abandon Zhuluo Kingdom to flee. The three of them would not dare touch their ancestral foundation, yet Li Ximing’s own Moongaze Lake would then be in trouble.
Seeing the two in a difficult position, Li Ximing smiled for Liu Changdie’s sake. He took out a stone box from his sleeve as well and revealed the [Surging Radiant Treasure Leaf], saying softly, “A Radiant Fire Purple Mansion Realm provision, the [Surging Radiant Treasure Leaf], fallen from a spirit flower within the Eastern Fire Grotto Heaven.”
At these words, Liu Changdie felt troubled and hesitated inwardly, while Fuxun was overjoyed. “Fellow Daoist, you are truly a straightforward man!”
Liu Changdie could only send a silent message with his mana, “I will surely make it up to you, Ximing!”
After settling their arrangements, the three did not delay for even a moment. They tore open the great void and rose from the pavilion. Leading the way, Fuxun said, “This demonic creature has some ability. Her name is Huoyang, a pheasant bird that cultivates Radiant Fire. Her divine ability lies in her beak. Normally, she is not much in a fight, but the move she learned from her elder, that sudden burst of flame, even I would have to avoid it. Once that fire is spent, she is nothing much!”
He spoke with imposing confidence, then his tone shifted, carrying a hint of reverence, “But her elder is formidable. Sons are born with True Fire, and daughters with Radiant Fire. Back when that elder was alive, even my grandfather had to pay him respects. Zhuluo Kingdom once dominated most of Poluoduo. The Vermilion Bird of Baijia Kingdom is so proud, yet it is said that it shamelessly addressed him as uncle each time. If he had succeeded in his breakthrough, Poluoduo would likely have seen the rebirth of the ancient Pheasant Kingdom!”
Li Ximing stroked his beard, and Liu Changdie smiled. “The land beneath our feet is what we in Jiangnan call the southern border. But it is vast. From the Pyu Kingdom northward, below the Great Western Plains, the terrain is broad above and narrow below, almost splitting the Northern Sea in two. This region is known as Poluoduo.”
Li Ximing nodded, and Fuxun continued, “Back then, he sought to prove True Fire. Even the master of the Tongxin Tree came to witness it. Unfortunately, he failed at the final step and perished. After his death, his influence vanished, his flames were divided, and Zhuluo Kingdom has nearly been pushed back onto the islands.”
They had already arrived at Zhuluo Kingdom in the span of a few sentences. Birds filled the land; red cattle roamed draped in cloth; fires burned everywhere; and towering forests glowed crimson.
Fuxun tore through the great void, bringing the two to a massive scarlet palace, where he called out, “Fellow Daoist Huoyang! Come out at once!”
As expected of a lineage that had once been glorious, the palace was even more magnificent than his pagoda. More importantly, when Li Ximing carefully sensed it, he could detect the aura of a Purple Mansion Realm grand formation surrounding it. He nodded inwardly, Ordinary demonic creatures would never have access to formations. But with a great demonic beast in their ancestry, inviting a few formation masters to construct one would not be difficult.
He remained composed, but Liu Changdie’s eyes lit up the moment he saw the palace. He could hardly move, stroking his chin and looking up as he examined it in detail.
After a short while, a red-haired girl in white robes leaped out from the sea of crimson. Her pupils were black and red; flame-like runes dotted her cheeks; and her collar was covered in dense True Fire patterns. Her sleeves spread like wings, and she was unexpectedly quite beautiful. A crimson whip was coiled at her waist. Seeing such a grand display, she cautiously stopped before the formation, softened her stance, and said gently, “So it is Senior Fuxun… what has happened?”
Fuxun smiled and replied, “What could it be… I heard from a few fellow Daoists that a foolish bird keeps causing you trouble… This time, I’ve brought you some business and will help resolve your current difficulties.”
“Oh?”
Fuxun had never been on good terms with the Vermilion Bird of Baijia Kingdom, so his words carried considerable credibility. The girl returned a smile. It was even less appropriate to offend him now, so she said gently, “Then please.”
She stepped out from the formation and guided the three to sit in a side hall. Several young women immediately came forward with wine. These demonic creatures were not so particular with speech, so Fuxun went straight to the point with a smile, saying, “No need for many words. This is Fellow Daoist Zhaojing from Jiangnan, a top-tier alchemist unmatched across the mainland, one whom even the Supreme Yang Dao lineage must give way to!”
Li Ximing had been holding his cup when those words nearly made him jump. Yet he could not contradict him, so he clenched his teeth silently, rose, and gave a salute. Upon hearing this, the woman’s red lips parted slightly, revealing great surprise as she said repeatedly, “I have been most discourteous!”
To demonic creatures of the southern border, alchemy was a rare art, let alone one who dominated Jiangnan. Huoyang clearly felt a sense of closeness and said with a smile, “If I can receive your help in refining pills, it would be my good fortune.”
