He Qing spoke in an indifferent tone, "A treasure or elixir capable of extending life by thirty years is roughly equivalent to a high-quality magic weapon refined to about sixty layers. Its value is not insignificant. There are quite a few of these items privately owned within the sect, but not many can be readily produced at a moment's notice. Moreover, not everyone values life and death as you and Senior Brother Xie do."
No need to hide it, Yu Ci’s face was already full of bitterness. He thought of the "Original Five Aggregates Demon Barrier" he had just put into his Storage Ring, further confirming that he must not let Gan Shi Zhen know about this. He would keep it a secret for as long as possible.
His expression fell into He Qing's eyes, and the female cultivator asked, "What do you plan to do?"
Yu Ci honestly replied, "I am at a loss for the moment. I had originally planned to catch another superior Fish-Dragon in the Sky Rift Valley, but with the time it takes to go back and forth, I fear there's not much time left."
As he said this, he suddenly remembered something and became somewhat distracted.
He Qing was also silent, suddenly tapping the stone table. In the quiet of the night, a long shadow flew in, winding its way toward them.
Yu Ci turned his head, his heart stirred. The one flying in was He Qing's Fish-Dragon, which he could confirm as the highest quality one he had seen. Continuing his previous train of thought, Yu Ci looked at the Fish-Dragon with burning eyes. At this moment, he heard He Qing say:
"This Fish-Dragon of mine, named Shan Gu, is of superior quality. It could certainly be exchanged for a life-extending treasure, but I am unwilling."
Yu Ci was taken aback. He found He Qing's frankness more than he had expected.
The female cultivator extended her hand, and the Fish-Dragon obediently stuck its head into the pavilion for her to stroke. "On one hand, Shan Gu is my Destiny Spiritual Object, deeply tied to my cultivation. On the other hand, even if it were truly exchanged for a life-extending item, I don't necessarily think it would be a blessing for him."
"him" referred to Yu Zhou.
Yu Ci furrowed his brows. He Qing's words were not pleasant to hear, but they were not unfounded. He had long felt that Old Daoist Yu Zhou had a resigned and desolate attitude. Xie Yan had always kept the matter of life extension a secret, probably for similar reasons.
But this alone was not enough to dissuade Yu Ci, "What needs to be done should be done. How Temple Master thinks is his business."
Hearing his words, He Qing glanced at him, a slight curve appearing at the corner of her mouth, as if she was smiling, "Very well, as you wish!"
Her voice remained calm, "I can send a message to the Sect to see what those who are close to Senior Brother Yu think. As for you, are you going to the Sky Rift Valley?"
It was only now that Yu Ci made up his mind, "I will do what I can."
He Qing neither agreed nor disagreed, then she patted Fish-Dragon's fist-sized head again, "Then you should take it with you. Shan Gu is of extremely high quality and has some sensitivity to its own kind. It may lend you a hand when you're in Sky Rift Valley. Plus, it's incredibly fast, you could ride it there, saving a lot of time, although it might not be the most comfortable ride."
Yu Ci looked at Fish-Dragon, seeing its slender body no thicker than a cup's rim. To sit on it and maintain balance would be a Herculean task, probably the first major challenge he would need to overcome.
However, no matter how difficult the challenge, he was determined to face it head-on. Without further ado, he bowed to He Qing in gratitude:
"Thank you, Immortal He."
He Qing returned to her meditation, her voice indifferent, "Don't forget the Great Dream Yin-Yang Method I taught you."
************
Yu Ci stood on the edge of a high cliff, the rolling clouds of Sky Rift Valley at his feet. Shan Gu's slender body moved lazily in the fog, as if it lacked energy.
Someone kept talking in his ear, "You want to catch a Fish-Dragon, especially a Squama-Breaking and Horn-Growing one? It's not as easy as you think!"
Under the sunlight, the bald heads of the elders were almost another source of light. He suppressed his usual hot-tempered nature, his words carrying a hint of earnest advice, "The cold wave has already swept across nearly ten thousand miles of the eastern bank of Sky Rift Valley. The ecosystem has collapsed. Not to mention Fish-Dragon, even Shrimp Whisker Grass can't be found. Didn't you come away empty-handed in the last three days?"
Yu Ci stared at the boundless Clouds sea, remaining silent. This was his fourth day in Sky Rift Valley. As the elders had said, he had nothing to show for his efforts.
The elders seized the opportunity to persuade him further, "Instead of wasting time here, why not consider my suggestion? If you teach me the method of dissipating evil Yin energy and nurturing the Divine Soul, I'm willing to guarantee you financial support from the Great Passage.
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"We can also exchange the Ruyi Money from Random Heart Pavilion. I've checked the market, and the Life-Extension treasure you mentioned can be exchanged for Ruyi Money, valued at about forty to fifty thousand. Although it's a large sum, I can afford it."
The elder's estimate was quite reliable. Generally, the price of a refined Magical Instrument doubles every six levels. At the Treasure Exchange Banquet, Zhou Youde brought out the "Heart-Connecting Rhinoceros Ring" blessed by a high monk, equivalent to a Forty-Layer Artifact, valued at five thousand Ruyi Money. A treasure that extends life by thirty years, equivalent to a sixty-layer High-quality magic weapon, is reasonably priced at forty thousand.
Yu Ci slowly shook his head.
He had considered it, but the more practical issue was that the answers the elder needed were actually the Qi of the Heavenly Dragon True Form and the True Purple Smoke Warm Jade. The former was not a big deal, he didn't think the old man would dissect him for research, and there was no need to worry about the results. However, the latter was the treasured artifact of the Ten Thousand Images Sect, with an awkward origin. Yu Ci was particularly wary of the inscrutable and elusive Murong Qingyan.
However, having said that, Yu Ci shook his head, but it wasn't an outright refusal.
If he truly had no such intentions, he wouldn't have taken the trouble to make a detour to the Mountain Moving Cloud Boat Dock.
He was merely considering that if it came to a point of desperation, he wouldn't hesitate to use this bargaining chip. After all, even a piece of jade isn't as precious as the life of Old Daoist Yu Zhou.
"Let's wait a bit longer."
Yu Ci's tone was not as resolute as before. The elders were overjoyed at hearing this, patting their bald heads and laughing, "It's best that you can see the light, young man. In fact, I might not necessarily covet your method or treasure. It's just for research, and it's no harm to return it to you after use, like the Heart-Tugging Horn."
With an annoyed glance, Yu Ci thought to himself that this old man had some nerve. When he had given the Heart-Tugging Horn away, it was intact, but when it was returned, only half was left, and the other half was nowhere to be found.
Of course, Yu Ci had to admit that as long as this old man got what he wanted, the rewards were incredibly generous. Along with the return of the Heart-Tugging Horn came the Mirage Jade Scroll, which contained the killing and hiding images of the Heaven Escape Sect coach. Now, he was eagerly discussing the matter of the Life-Extension treasure, regardless of his intentions, it greatly relieved Yu Ci's pressure and made him feel very fond of this generous bald man.
Turning to look at the elders, Yu Ci finally made a decision: "Please prepare on your end."
"Oh?" The elders were slightly surprised by his firm attitude.
Yu Ci had completely made up his mind: "We should prepare for both scenarios, catching the Fish-Dragon would be ideal, but if not, we won't be caught off guard. As a reward, as long as we can get the Life-Prologing Treasure, whether it's with the Fish-Dragon or the collected Ruyi Money, I will discuss the nurturing of the Divine Soul with you. I hope you won't hesitate to teach me."
Upon hearing this, the elders were overjoyed, patting his shoulder and laughing heartily: "You are indeed a generous young man, not comparable to those petty commoners."
Yu Ci simply shook his head at the praise, then took a step forward, already above the clouds.
Then he let out a whistle, calling back Shan Gu who had wandered far away. These days, the Fish-Dragon and he had developed a tacit understanding, and it swam to his feet, perfectly aligned.
"I will go down to the valley now. Regardless of the results, I will return to the dock in seven days."
Having set the date, Yu Ci lightly tapped his foot, and Shan Gu's speed increased dramatically, shooting directly into the depths of the clouds. Yu Ci's body swayed greatly, but he still absorbed the strong impact. At the same time, a layer of pure True Sha combined with the spiritual object under him, naturally forming a barrier to block the strong wind pressure from the outside world.
This was a method that Yu Ci had painstakingly researched, and it was precisely because of this that he was qualified to stand on the back of Shan Gu.
The Fish-Dragon moved with such speed that it had already traveled more than ten miles in the blink of an eye, continuously heading towards the depths of the western Cloud Sea. Yu Ci closed his eyes and focused his mind, unexpectedly opening the Inner Void of the Heart while flying at such high speed. Beneath the boundless night sky within, his consciousness merged with the Fish-Dragon's Mental Image. At this moment, all Physical Images, including his flesh body and Divine Soul, were forgotten. Only the Fish-Dragon's Mental Image floated between the void of heaven and earth. The Fish-Dragon was him, and he was the Fish-Dragon!
He understood very well that this void was not an ordinary void. The boundless night sky he was seeing now was his own image space. Outside of this, was the real world where all living beings existed.
At this moment, there was an invisible membrane between the internal and external void. However, it wasn't completely isolated, the Primordial Qi of the external world still permeated in through some channel. Once it entered the Inner Void of the Heart, it distinguished Yin and Yang, with the clear rising and the turbid falling, each finding its place. But the energy was too scarce, so thin that it was almost nonexistent after dispersing into the Inner Void of the Heart, and could be completely ignored.
What was truly useful was the response caused by the infusion of the Primordial Qi, which allowed Yu Ci to still collect information even within the Inner Void of the Heart. His Divine Soul may have been a bit blurry, but don't forget, he still had the Divine Bronze Mirror.
Gradually, a light began to shine around the Fish-Dragon's Mental Image. It was the "heavenly light", as if the natural light from the external world had seeped in. Along with it, appeared the rolling Cloudy and Misty Void. A space of about fifty square feet was perfectly reflected in his Inner Void of the Heart through the Divine Bronze Mirror. This was the Divine Consciousness Starlight skillfully transferring the perception range of Shan Gu, combining it with his own perception to form this scene.
The Fish-Dragon's Mental Image swam within it, with Shan Gu beneath it. Although they were actually in different spatial levels, there was a fascinating connection when they moved.
The hundred-mile void passed in a flash, and in the outside world, the shadows of the mountains appeared and disappeared in the fog.
Just then, in the Inner Void of the Heart, a landscape of mountains and rocks suddenly appeared in the distance in front of the Fish-Dragon's Mental Image. The Fish-Dragon's Mental Image immediately locked onto that target, shaking its head and tail, and flew towards it.
However, Yu Ci was puzzled: "Why have I encountered these people again?"
***********
It gets tense again before the end. I spent the whole day today dismantling characters, feeling like a villain. Well, may the heavens let this villain exit the stage soon. Demolition is really not a job for humans! I'm exhausted and need some encouragement.
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