Chapter 402
“An unsteady upper beam will lead to a crooked lower beam. You’re still young and easily impatient for success.”
“?”
“I know you’re a bit anxious, but hear me out. Do you remember when I told you about the Wu Lian Hall? The hall master back then was a prodigy, but later, he came into contact with a certain drug.”
“Shen Li San?” Li Mo blurted out.
“How did you know?” Qin Yuzhi was taken aback.
“Well, actually, the Wu Lian Hall is no more. The Huan Mo Sect now only has the Xue Lian Hall.”
“???”
Qin Yuzhi’s eyes went blank, and she nearly drooled.
After a moment of silence, her round face shifted to one of disappointment.
She had wanted to boast about her achievements in managing the sect, like eradicating banned substances, but now she realized she hadn’t accomplished anything at all.
Seeing her disheartened expression, Li Mo comforted her, “Let’s start over! Together, we can make the Wan Xiang Xian Zong great again! We’ll create a new glory!”
“No way,” Qin Yuzhi shook her head.
“Why not?”
“Can we really engage in illegal activities?”
“”
Li Mo was at a loss for words.
It was hard to believe that the current members of the Huan Mo Sect would never imagine their former leader was so law-abiding.
“You eat that stuff every day; what’s illegal about it?”
“Hmm?”
“MSG and chicken essence! You enjoy them at every meal, yet you say you can’t eat in the South.”
Li Mo pulled out two small jars, one containing white powder and the other light yellow.
Qin Yuzhi opened a jar and tasted it, her eyes lighting up with recognition of the familiar umami flavor.
“So you’re talking about seasonings?”
“Exactly! You can’t go a meal without feeling awful, so what’s the problem with relying on them?”
“That makes sense.” Qin Yuzhi found herself unable to argue.
Li Mo then asked, “By the way, Qin Sect Master, can’t you send dreams? Can you recreate the taste of dishes in dreams?”
“Hmph, you underestimate me! Pulling an entire city into a dream feast is just a small feat for me.”
Qin Yuzhi perked up again, filled with motivation.
“Then you’ll handle the advertising! I’ll go find Xue Lao and see if I can get the recipes for MSG and chicken essence.”
“Advertising?”
After their conversation, Li Mo stood up and headed to Dan Ding Peak, determined to get these two seasonings onto the tables of the many people in the South. Other issues were irrelevant.
After all, he wasn’t short on money.
What mattered was the recipe. Once he had that, mass production wouldn’t be a problem.
However, he couldn’t figure out the recipe himself. He didn’t understand how the protagonists in novels could do everything; schools didn’t teach that.
Upon reaching Dan Ding Peak, things went more smoothly than he had anticipated.
Xue Lao wasn’t there, but he didn’t need to intervene. Senior Brother Xiao Bao tasted a bit and quickly wrote out the ingredient list, even including the preparation method—he was like a walking testing device.
And Li Mo only had to pay with a few sticks of Bang Bang Dan.
Meanwhile, at the main hall of Qing Yuan Peak, Shangguan Wencang lowered his eyelids, sitting with the Grand Elder. Both the sect leader and the only Grand Elder of Qing Yuan Sect wore serious expressions.
Well, perhaps not the only Grand Elder now, but definitely the only reliable one.
“Xiao Bing’er, go try again.”
“When you broke through the Seven Orifices of the Divine View, the bronze tree just happened to emit a hum.”
“It should be related to you.”
Though this was just a fragment of a larger picture, it was still a true heavenly artifact.
Ying Bing lowered her gaze, looking at the ancient and exquisitely crafted bronze tree, feeling a familiar call.
The incomplete Tian Huang Domain lit up, connecting the stars on the divine tree.
Waves of divine intent seemed to hang like leaves on the branches of the divine tree.
At that moment, a halo swirled and coalesced into an image before Ying Bing’s eyes: a vast starry sky, beneath which lay an endless ancient giant city, with a magnificent divine tree standing at its center.
Dark golden patterns flowed on it, extending roots that reached who knows how far, channeling the power of all beings.
Its branches seemed to extend into invisible chains, binding unseen existences from who knows where.
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**Chapter 446: You Hold Me, I Stand Tall**
Buzz—
In the hall, the divine tree seemed to come alive, withered wood springing back to life, and bare branches sprouted new buds.
In that instant, everything in the hall felt frozen.
The astonished expressions of Shangguan Wencang and the Grand Elder were captured in the light, while the divine tree continued to grow on its own.
When it fully blossomed with lush foliage, all the bronze had already shed away.
The bronze divine tree was a heavenly artifact.
It was, in essence, a manifestation of the Great Dao.
She seemed to hear the distant rustle of leaves from ages past, almost instinctively releasing the Hundred Birds Phoenix Form. Waves of avian divine intent spiraled in the air, landing on the branches of the divine tree, as if they had found their rightful roost.
The fragmented power within this heavenly artifact transformed into a misty aura.
Ying Bing’s hair danced lightly in the wind, illuminated by her ethereal beauty.
Within her, the ancient and vast divine intent of the bronze tree was bringing about a qualitative change in her spirit.
It even reached the level she had achieved in her past life when she gathered the Hundred Birds Phoenix Form.
Finally, the bronze divine tree collapsed with a thunderous roar.
“What is this?”
Ying Bing was taken aback, extending her delicate hand.
A glimmer of spiritual light flew from the decaying remnants into her palm.
It was a seed.
The bronze divine tree approached its decayed end, leaving behind a seed for continuation.
When it is planted again, it may not necessarily be a bronze divine tree.
At the same time, a system notification chimed in her ears.
[Notification: Countdown to this ranking: one hour.]
Outside, the Qing Yuan Mountain Range seemed to tremble slightly.
Unfortunately, no one noticed the tremor, as it was now a desolate place—Qun Yu Peak.
The master of Qun Yu Peak opened her eyes in the Qiu Shui Pavilion, scratching her head, sensing something was different, but she didn’t dwell on it.
Shang Wu was more concerned about what delicious food awaited her that evening.
“Hmm? Is Bing Tuozi back yet?”
Li Mo, hearing the commotion in the courtyard, poked his head out.
“She went to the main peak.”
Shang Wu yawned, “We’re heading to the imperial capital soon. I guess the sect leader and the Grand Elder are preparing to give Xiao Bing’er some secret techniques.”
“Tsk tsk, you should have seen how excited those old folks were.”
The excitement of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths was rare for Qing Yuan Sect, and most of the attendees were just there to make up the numbers.
The Dragon Gate Gathering in the imperial capital was one such event.
With two potential dragons from the sect in the top five, it was as if their ancestral graves were smoking; it was a big deal.
“Master, does Qun Yu Peak have any secret treasures?”
Li Mo wasn’t lacking in means; he was just curious.
“Of course we do.”
Shang Wu’s expression turned serious, as if she were stating a great truth.
“Really? What is it?”
“That would be me—beautiful as a flower, powerful, and understanding!”
Shang Wu pointed at herself, looking quite proud.
Li Mo: “”
Surely you can’t expect me to take you along as a prize?
Well, maybe that’s an option, but it’s not necessary, and I strongly advise against it.
After all, this was the imperial capital, the heart of the Da Yu Dynasty, where the strongest of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths gathered. It was a solemn and serious place; if Master caused any trouble, it would be hard to contain.
“Should I save some good wine and food for you instead?”
“Oh, you’ve grown up!”
“Poor kids have to take charge early, huh?”
Just then, footsteps sounded at the courtyard entrance, and Ying Bing returned to the Qiu Shui Pavilion.
Dressed in a flowing water-green skirt, her large-headed doll swayed at her waist, and her skin seemed even more radiant and fair, like the moon bathed in the waters of Jiangnan.
“I told you that outfit would look great on you.”
“Right?”
Ying Bing seemed to just come back to her senses, her gaze calm, a faint smile gracing her lips.
Had Ice Tuozi changed in some way?
After dinner, Li Mo observed her features and still felt something was off. So, as she headed upstairs, he activated the Tian Ming Divine Eye.
The divine eye pierced through layers of mist.
It seemed he could finally see the aura surrounding Ice Tuozi clearly.
[Name: Ying Bing]
[Age: 17]
[Root Bone: Tai Yin Yue Huang Body.]
[Realm: Seven Orifices of the Divine View.]
[Fate: Red (bearing the imperial bone, with Xuan Bing as fate, Qiu Shui as spirit, possessing the appearance of a phoenix).]
[Evaluation: A life filled with tribulations, always able to turn misfortune into fortune. At this moment, her feathers are not yet full; when the winds and clouds change, she will surely soar high in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, the phoenix reigning over the six realms and eight desolations.]
[Recent Encounter: Obtained the Dao Seed of the Bronze Divine Tree, further perfecting the Hundred Birds Divine Form, also an opportunity to replenish the Tian Huang Domain, which contains both fortune and danger.]
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