Taiyi Dao Fruit

It was not spiritual energy, it was an evil wind.

The Demonic Qi converged upon Zhang Daoyi, turning into black whirlwinds that swirled around him.

Zhang Daoyi stood amidst them, calm as ever, without showing a trace of perturbation as if he would not change his complexion even if Mount Tai were to collapse before him, but his True Qi suddenly turned violent.

Like water and fire that do not mix or as if wind and thunder were stimulating each other, Zhang Daoyi's Qi Mechanism kept soaring, and between breaths, his True Qi manifested immense explosive power.

'His True Qi, when facing the Evil Qi, is like a True Dragon whose scales have been touched in reverse—uncontrollably violent, which seems to be the true strength of this True Qi, and furthermore...'

Jiang Li's eyes, in which the Eight Trigrams were turning, and the Star Battle was rising and falling, sharply caught on to the fading traces of the Evil Qi.

The Five Vile Qi and Zhang Daoyi's True Qi countered each other and yet gave rise to life, as the Evil Qi decayed, sparks of spiritual mechanism appeared, which Zhang Daoyi absorbed, enhancing his momentum.

Finger Strength pushed forward again, against the crazily evolving Innate Qi, steadily progressing, and the more the Innate Qi was resisted, the faster it transformed. In just a moment, Jiang Li was surrounded by a sea of clouds, with a Divine Dragon gradually manifesting within the cloud Qi.

Divine Dragon Claw extended, Finger Strength pushed further, and finally, the two collided, turning the entire stone table to dust in an instant.

"Whoosh!"

Jiang Li suddenly reached out with his palm, a stream of Primordial Qi joined the violent Innate Qi, balancing the forces and halting the aggressive progression.

Zhang Daoyi also withdrew his Finger Strength, which split and turned into Yin Yang Qi returning to his body, and the swirling black winds gradually dissipated as well.

"Damaging the excess to supplement the deficient, what is this technique called?" Jiang Li asked.

"To cleanse through impurity, to purify from turbidity, the Nine Heavens Demon Clearing True Technique," Zhang Daoyi replied.

The deeper the filth, the stronger the turbid evil, then the purer the cleanness revealed; Nine Heavens Demon Clearing is not just about clearing the demons of this world but also those of heaven and earth.

This Cultivation Technique was specifically created to target and draw strength from such filth; the Nine Heavens Demon Clearing True Technique truly lives up to its name.

"Da Yan 50, subtracting one, is this the 'Qi Tomb'?" Zhang Daoyi asked.

"It is the 'Qi Tomb,' but it is my 'Qi Tomb,'" Jiang Li replied.

His 'Qi Tomb' had carved out its own path, differing from the main family's 'Qi Tomb' and could be considered uniquely Jiang Li's. If another person were to practice it, even with the same Cultivation Technique, they wouldn't be able to cultivate such an atmosphere.

At least, those from the main family definitely couldn't cultivate the 'Qi Tomb' to the extent that it could transform the Five Vile Qi.

Thinking of the scene Zhang Daoyi had displayed earlier, a streak of fervor flashed through Jiang Li's heart.

The Five Vile Qi can be transformed into spiritual energy, which indicates they share the same origin. If one were to integrate Innate Qi with the Five Vile Qi, could one grasp the mechanism of their transformation and create spiritual energy from it?

If that were possible, Jiang Li's power would surely be unrivaled in his era, with no one able to match him.

Even if he himself couldn't figure it out, once he took control of the Ochre Whip and comprehended the Ochre Whip's ability to transform the filthy Qi, he would definitely be able to do it.

This trip, it seems, was worth it.

Jiang Li's gaze met Zhang Daoyi's, and within his eyes, he saw the same fervent fire.

This person probably also harvested something from the 'Qi Tomb' and wanted to make further progress.

However, his gains certainly weren't as great as his own, not only because he didn't see as deeply as Jiang Li, but also because the Nine Heavens Demon Clearing True Technique did not delve into the origin of Qi Dao like the 'Qi Tomb' did.

"The night has grown deep, and I should take my leave."

Jiang Li pretended to glance at the sky and said.

He was already eager to verify his idea and try transforming the Five Vile Qi; however, practicing someone else's unique Cultivation Technique on their grounds was ultimately indecorous, and to avoid being besieged, it was better to leave.

Conveniently, after this period, the Elixir that Jiang Li had previously consumed was mostly digested, and his True Qi had recovered to about seventy percent.

Zhang Daoyi, too, was anxious to verify his gains and immediately smiled and said, "That's right, then this humble Daoist will not detain Fellow Daoist any longer."

The two exchanged courteous pleasantries, and Zhang Daoyi even personally saw them out the door.

The moment the gates of the Daoist Temple shut, both parties hurried their steps at the same time.

"Let's go."

Jiang Li quickly urged Feng Manlou, seeking the next place to stay.

Yet, no sooner had they taken a step out when the surroundings suddenly darkened, night turning into an inky blackness where not even the fingers could be seen, causing Jiang Li to let out an involuntary laugh.

'Jade Ruyi! Disaster!'

Jiang Li snapped back from his frenzy, a profound sense of terror taking hold of him as his hair stood on end.

The crisis came too fast, too abruptly; he couldn't even evade. He instantaneously deployed the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top, and Innate Qi coalesced into Spirit Turtle Armor.

But before the Qi Armor could take shape, a piercing screech erupted, and the unformed Qi Armor shattered instantly. A mournful streak of light slashed across the Three Lights around his body, and one of the three flowers atop his head dimmed by half in an instant.

"Boom!"

True Qi erupted from Jiang Li's body, Innate Qi wildly clashing within him, multiplying into sixty-four, further transforming uncontrollably like a wild dragon sweeping across the land before, in a flash—

Jiang Li's eyes blazed with Divine Light; the Emperor's Qi Observation Skill detected a hint of disharmony, and he spun around with a palm strike.

"Roar!"

Eight talismanic seeds burst forth from his acupoints, drawing Innate Qi into the shape of a dragon. The True Dragon roared furiously, striking back at something behind him, colliding with a sinister red Sword Light.

"Bang!"

The ground erupted, the gates of Laojun Temple crumbling in an instant. A whirlwind plowed the earth as Innate Qi struck the Sword Light, rapidly refining and dissolving the Sword Qi. In a blink, it had refined away most of it. The True Dragon roared once more, striking with its claw, shattering the remaining Sword Light, and a round Sword Orb shot towards the rear.

"Who dares to be so reckless here!"

Inside Laojun Temple, a dark Seal Technique was hurled out, transforming into a Big Seal that enveloped the Sword Orb. The moment the Sword Orb impacted the Big Seal, it exploded into thousands of Sword Qi, tearing through space and creating chaos both within and outside Laojun Temple.

Then, from a distance, a surge of Qi Mechanism rose sharply, and the Sword Orb, spinning quickly, transformed back into a crimson streak, tearing through the heavens. It broke through the Big Seal and shot into the sky, disappearing into the starry expanse like a comet.

Simultaneously, the darkness surrounding them dissipated, and moonlight shone down on Jiang Li once again. Everything that had just occurred seemed like an illusion, giving him the eerie feeling of having experienced something from another world.

But that terrifying sensation still lingered in his heart.

'Sword Orb...'

Jiang Li looked back deeply at the Daoist Temple.

As far as he knew, Sword Cultivators of the Three Pure Ones Sect were fond of using Sword Orbs as their instruments, unlike Senior Brother Feng who directly cultivated his Flying Sword through sacrificial practice.

With this person lying in wait outside the Daoist Temple, striking at just the right moment, Jiang Li couldn't help but be suspicious.

It is known that members of the Upper Pure Sect excel at talismanic magic and seldom involve themselves with the way of the Sword Cultivator; on the contrary, there are many in the Daode Sect who are proficient in Swordsmanship, both users and practitioners of the Flying Sword.