[Your descendant, Li Yaotie, returned Daoist Mingkong's corpse to Wang Jinhu. General Wang Jinhu attempted to persuade Li Yaotie to return to the Heavenly Light Sect but was unsuccessful and could only let the matter drop.
On behalf of the Heavenly Light Grand Ancestor, he delivered a Rank 4 Spirit Object—the Heavenly Fire Divine Tree.]
[Heavenly Fire Divine Tree: A Spirit Object naturally born of heaven and earth, a spirit tree grown within earth fire over hundreds of thousands of years amidst molten rock. The tree itself generates heavenly fire. This fire can be used to smelt ores.
Every hundred years, it can naturally generate Rank 7 True Fire; every thousand years, Rank 6 Earth Fire; every ten thousand years, Rank 5 Heavenly Fire.
The fires of heaven and earth can be refined into the body, providing divine efficacy for artifact refining, pill refining... and more.]
"Thank you, Master."
As Wang Jinhu took Daoist Mingkong's corpse away, Li Yaotie bowed deeply in the direction of the Heavenly Light Grotto from afar.
This 'Heavenly Fire Divine Tree' was the Heavenly Light Grand Ancestor's treasure; Li Yaotie hadn't expected Wang Jinhu to bring the Heavenly Fire Divine Tree this time.
It was just that in this age of great chaos, even a powerful expert like his Master had no choice but to make his own decisions, and Daoist Mingkong ultimately made his Master respect his final admonition before death.
...
[Year 480]
Another year's Great Ceremony began.
Li Xinghuo, far away in the Northern Border, and Li Tianyue, leading troops in Duskwild Prefecture, both returned home.
Watching the children gather together to burn incense and pay respects to him, Li Wei held his head high with pride.
Afterward, Li Xinghuo and Li Tianyue returned to their posts.
The older generation of clansmen continued their cultivation; the two oldest elders in the coffin whispered sweet nothings; Yaozu and Yaowen floated in the sky; the Seven Ironclads were buried underground.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
In the sky above Merit City hung a sun, the very sun that simulated the changing seasons within Merit City.
No one knew that hidden within this sun was a cauldron.
This was the 'Spirit Gathering Cauldron' that Li Yaozu had obtained back then at Qingfeng Mountain when he killed Daoist Qingfeng to avenge his family.
This cauldron could nurture Divine Souls and also smelt spirit objects containing Rules from all under Heaven, refining 'Divine Soul Art Light Orbs' to bestow Divine Soul Arts.
Nowadays, however, the continuous sound of metalworking echoed from within the cauldron.
Entering the cauldron, one would see an interior like molten rock within a volcano.
At the far end stood a massive fire tree. Molten rock continuously flowed down from this fire tree—this was the Rank 4 Spirit Object, the 'Heavenly Fire Divine Tree'.
Before the fire tree, Li Yaotie wielded a large hammer, forging ironware.
In this scorching space, Bai Rourou, with her short white hair and wearing a vest, was also present, assisting Li Yaotie.
They were truly a 'husband-and-wife forging team'.
Meanwhile, in Merit City's Outer City.
Under a shed made of thatched grass, Li Yaoqing, dressed in physician's robes, lay comfortably on a recliner with her eyes closed, her legs crossed and resting on the chair.
Beside her was a pill furnace, and a child wearing a red cloth wiped sweat from his head while fanning the furnace fire.
White smoke drifted from the nine holes on the furnace lid up into the sky, the dense immortal spirit qi floating high above.
Floating in the vast sky, Li Yaowen and Li Yaozu smelled the spirit qi from the white smoke, both looking refreshed.
"Physician, I'm at Divinity Transformation! Mid-stage Divinity Transformation, about to reach the peak!"
The Immortal Boy's childlike face turned towards Li Yaoqing, his small, soot-covered face etched with grievance.
"I'm still the number one person in the Hall of Heavenly Principle! Look what I look like now? I look like an odd-job medicine boy; what will my colleagues think of me? How about we just go back to the Imperial Capital instead, back to being Imperial Physicians?"
"We can't go back."
Li Yaoqing's eyelashes fluttered. "Besides, having you fan the pill furnace isn't wronging you. Do you know what's inside this furnace?"
"What?" The Immortal Boy's face was full of innocence.
"Spirit medicines from the Imperial Palace's formulas. Everything I'm refining is pills above Rank 6." Li Yaoqing's voice was calm.
"Ah?" The Immortal Boy's expression changed, hot sweat turning to cold sweat.
"You... you stole spirit medicines from the Imperial Palace? How... how many did you steal?"
"Ninety percent. Enough for us to refine for several hundred years."
"I... Oh my god!"
The Immortal Boy plopped onto the ground, his eyes nearly popping out.
No wonder the spirit qi from this pill furnace was so immense, even overflowing into the entirety of Merit City, all absorbed clean by the people in the sky and underground.
The key is...
"Physician, this is a crime punishable by house confiscation and clan extermination! Should... should we run?"
Li Yaoqing remained unmoved.
"Did you think I was just wasting my time in the Imperial Palace? Who knows how many of those consorts owe me favors. All those years in the palace, putting up with their nonsense—since I've left, shouldn't I make them pay a price?
They have to cover for me; otherwise, I'll broadcast their scandals to the world. Besides, I'm not stupid; I only stole spirit medicines that wouldn't make them too angry."
Only then did the Immortal Boy breathe a sigh of relief. The thought that these were medicines stolen from the Imperial Palace instantly dispelled his feelings of grievance, and he fanned with extra vigor.
The white smoke from the medicine furnace drifted into the sky, carrying with it an air of peaceful and tranquil years.
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