Chapter 63

Second update! Begging for favorites and red tickets! The new book chart is about to be overtaken by the eleventh place, please brothers, come to the rescue quickly!

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Mu Kui's cave abode was no more than a hundred zhang in size, dry and cool inside, with some simple cold stone tables and chairs, making it appear extremely rudimentary.

The moment Chen Xi entered the cave, he sensed a dense spiritual energy fluctuation. After a quick scan, he soon found its source.

In the corner of the cave, there was a mat. Chen Xi reached out and lifted the mat, revealing a piece of jade emitting a hazy spiritual light lying quietly in the rock crevice. It was about a foot long and as thick as a child's arm, with a rich and pure spiritual energy that made one feel refreshed and invigorated with just a breath.

"Is this the top-grade spiritual vein you mentioned? No wonder that tiger demon came to snatch your cave. The spiritual energy here is more than ten times denser than the outside world, undoubtedly an excellent place for cultivation."

Chen Xi said in surprise. It was his first time seeing a spiritual vein, but compared to the spiritual spring he saw in the Sword Immortal's cave, this piece of spiritual vein was slightly inferior.

Mu Kui stood to the side, feeling uneasy. He had seen cases of people being killed for their treasures and was naturally worried that Chen Xi might be greedy and kill him.

Thud.

The more Mu Kui thought about it, the more afraid he became. He no longer hesitated and immediately knelt down, shouting, "I am willing to serve as your disciple, Senior. I beg you to take me under your wing. Mu Kui will serve you for life, and if I betray you, I will suffer the heavy punishment of the heavens and never be reborn!"

Chen Xi knew that this guy was afraid he would kill him for the treasure. Refusing him would make him live in constant fear, and who knows what might happen.

"Alright, I can accept your request, but I must make one thing clear: I won't take you away from here," Chen Xi said after a moment of thought.

"Senior, Mu Kui is sincere in following you. I will not distract you. Please grant me this," Mu Kui felt slightly relieved but was still somewhat reluctant when he thought of Chen Xi's latter words, wondering if Senior was afraid he would be a burden.

Chen Xi shook his head, "I won't change my decision. If you insist, then..."

Before Chen Xi could finish, Mu Kui quickly said, "Senior, please calm down. I will do as you say."

Chen Xi nodded.

Mu Kui chatted with Chen Xi for a while, trying to probe his background, but seeing Chen Xi's distracted look, he cleverly withdrew.

From then on, this cave was silently 'occupied' by Chen Xi. Mu Kui didn't mind much, as Chen Xi not killing him had already made him extremely grateful.

...

Sigh.

Chen Xi sat down on the mat, the rich and pure spiritual energy from the top-grade spiritual vein below making him exhale in comfort.

"Here is quite nice," Ji Yu appeared out of nowhere, holding a baby Pixiu.

Chen Xi was already used to Ji Yu's unpredictable appearances, knowing he would only show up when no one else was around.

Roar!

The baby Pixiu, with its snow-white fur and the size of a fist, its eyes lit up, and it roared at Chen Xi, clearly having discovered the top-grade spiritual vein.

Seeing the cute little guy, Chen Xi couldn't resist wanting to pick it up, but Ji Yu firmly refused, "Your current strength is not enough to control Bai Xiao; it will only escape."

"Bai Xiao?" Chen Xi was puzzled.

"Yes, it's called Bai Xiao. It has already developed intelligence and a natural spiritual body, but as a renowned auspicious beast since ancient times, it can never transform into a human form."

Ji Yu sighed, "This is the way of the heavens, balancing excess and deficiency. If the Pixiu could transform into a human form and cultivate, with its terrifying ability to accumulate luck, it would have long become a supreme existence."

"Balancing excess and deficiency?" Chen Xi was lost in thought. The way of the heavens was profound and unfathomable, and with his current understanding, he couldn't grasp its meaning.

"What do you plan to do? Stay here forever?" Ji Yu changed the subject.

Mentioning the main topic, Chen Xi's expression became more serious. He nodded and said, "Yes, I heard from Mu Kui that there are seven powerful demon kings in the southern wilderness mountains, guarding the only path to the outside world like an impregnable fortress. So I plan to stay here temporarily, and once I break through to the Zifu realm, I will leave."

During their chat, Mu Kui had tried to probe Chen Xi's identity, but Chen Xi deftly changed the subject, revealing many secrets and giving Chen Xi a better understanding of the mountainous region.

The Southern Wilderness Mountains spanned ten thousand miles, with the inner region covering five thousand miles. In this area, demons and beasts roamed freely, with the seven demon kings being the most prominent.

These seven demon kings were the Thunder Eagle King of Purple Copper Mountain, the Black Ape King of Kongshui Cave, the Ink Dragon King of Moon Lake, the Green Python King of the Sunset Forest, the Kunpeng King of Howling Moon Ridge, the Green Fox King of Cold Star Mountain, and a mysterious Black-Eyed Old Tortoise King.

The strength of these seven demon kings varied, with the weakest being the Black Ape King of Kongshui Cave, who was at the Zifu realm, and the strongest being the Kunpeng King of Howling Moon Ridge and the Green Fox King, whose exact strength was unknown.

Of course, the most mysterious was the Black-Eyed Old Tortoise King, said to have lived for over ten thousand years and possessing a trace of the bloodline of the ancient divine beast Xuanwu. His strength was unfathomable.

He was considered mysterious because almost no demon had ever seen him in action, and his whereabouts were unpredictable. No one could see him unless he wished to be seen.

However, regardless of their strength, the seven demon kings were all formidable beings that Chen Xi could not currently contend with. This was why he dared not leave Embrace Moon Mountain easily, as the seven demon kings guarded the inner region of the Southern Wilderness Mountains, and attempting to force his way through would only result in a tragic death.

"Very well. Although the Southern Wilderness Mountains are infested with demons and rarely visited by humans, the spiritual energy here is extremely dense, and there are many spiritual herbs and treasures. It is like a natural treasure trove, and cultivating here is quite good," Ji Yu nodded.

After chatting for a while and urging Chen Xi to focus on his cultivation, Ji Yu disappeared with the baby Pixiu.

Rustle!

As soon as Ji Yu left, Chen Xi took out the jade slips he had obtained from the Sword Immortal's cave from his storage ring and arranged them on the ground.

There were twenty jade slips in total, personally selected by Ji Yu from the tens of thousands of jade slips in the library, making them extremely precious.

Thirteen of them were about talisman-making, and seven were other jade slips.

Talisman-making was a vast and profound art, like a boundless sea, requiring a long time to study and comprehend, making it difficult to achieve significant results in a short period.

Chen Xi focused on the other seven jade slips.

The cultivation technique "Ice Crane Art" recorded the cultivation methods for the nine levels of the Zifu realm. The true essence cultivated through this technique was like a surging tide filled with ice spikes, both enduring and sharp, making it extremely divine.

"My Chen family's ancestral "Purple Dawn Art" has eighteen levels, recording the cultivation methods for the nine levels of the postnatal and the nine levels of the prenatal, but it lacks the Zifu realm. This "Ice Crane Art" precisely solves my urgent need."

After a quick read through the "Ice Crane Art," seeing the exquisite and unimaginable cultivation techniques, Chen Xi felt a surge of gratitude, thinking, "Senior Ji Yu must have considered this point and chosen this "Ice Crane Art" for me. I must cultivate diligently to live up to his expectations!"

The second jade slip— "Great Derivation Wind Traveling Sword," inspired by the concept of "fifty in the great derivation, forty-nine in use."

The sword technique was as fast as lightning, with countless variations, like the wind sweeping through the heavens. When unleashed, it was like a raging hurricane, destroying everything in its path, and its defense was impenetrable. When perfected, the sword technique could be as swift as a gale, as gentle as a breeze, as fierce as a storm, as violent as a tempest, and as sharp as a gale, with countless variations, making it impossible to defend against.

Based on the characteristics of the wind, the "Great Derivation Wind Traveling Sword" had six moves: Swift Wind Shadow, Gentle Wind Rain, Fierce Wind Darkness, Violent Wind Tide, Sharp Wind Wave, and Hurricane Void.

"Amazing! The first four moves of the "Great Derivation Wind Traveling Sword" are at the level of the Unity of Heaven and Man, and most incredibly, the "Sharp Wind Wave" and "Hurricane Void" moves already have the essence of the Dao!"

Chen Xi was overwhelmed with excitement, his eyes sparkling.

It is well-known that all arts have three realms: Foundation, Subtle Perception, and Unity of Heaven and Man. Above these is the Dao Intent!

At this realm, whether it's sword techniques, saber techniques, spear techniques, footwork, fist techniques, or even flower arrangement, painting, and music, they all contain the cultivator's understanding of the Dao. When performed, their power is more than a hundred times that of the Unity of Heaven and Man, and the difference between the two is like the difference between heaven and earth!

For sword techniques, understanding the Dao Intent allows one to凝聚 'sword intent,' which has a qualitative difference in power compared to ordinary sword techniques.

"Dao Intent! The 'Great Derivation Wind Traveling Sword' must be an extremely precious existence in that library. Senior Ji Yu is truly too good to me..."

Chen Xi took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and continued to the next jade slip.

The movement technique— "Divine Wind Feather Transformation," using the wind as wings, soaring through the nine heavens!

This "Divine Wind Feather Transformation" was also incredibly profound. After the previous surprises, Chen Xi was somewhat numb, but seeing this technique that allowed cultivators to ride the clouds and traverse the sky, he was still unable to hide his excitement, taking a while to calm down.

The three jade slips "Illusion Spirit," "Shake Spirit," and "Slay Spirit" recorded methods for attacking the spirit. Based on Chen Xi's speculation, these three jade slips were clearly part of a whole, from the lowest level "Illusion Spirit" to the highest level "Slay Spirit."

Similarly, these three spirit attack techniques were what Chen Xi urgently needed. He knew that cultivation methods for visualizing the spirit were extremely rare, and while spirit attack techniques were not as precious as visualization methods, they were still highly valuable, and ordinary forces could not possess them.

When Chen Xi's gaze fell on the last jade slip, he was taken aback. "Conceal Breath and Traceless Technique"?

Could it be a technique for using true essence?

After a quick browse, Chen Xi's heart, which had been numbed by wave after wave of surprises, once again pounded uncontrollably.