Chapter 273

Chapter 273: Heavenly Furnace and Endless Waters

The Emperor’s jade sword was carved from a strange purple jade.

This type of purple jade was very unique; when cut open, its patterns resembled dragons, with nine purple dragons winding up the blade, cherished by the Royal Family of the Grand Xuan Dynasty.

Holding this sword felt like standing in the emperor’s presence. Li Hui proudly stepped onto the Wave Breaking Cone, casually diverting the city’s stored supplies until there was no room left.

“Activate the teleportation array!”

“Yes!” The people below did not dare to be negligent and hastily piled up spiritual shells. They could not have imagined that, with so many powerful experts guarding the royal family, someone would dare to steal this sword. Was that even possible? Even if someone told them the truth, they would slap them and shout that they were joking!

As the sword was placed in the array, a deep thunder sound resonated, and light pillars shot up into the sky.

About a stick of incense later, with a loud “bang,” a terrifying blood hand imprint smacked onto the teleportation array, and from the air, a voice shouted, “Bastard, is that you, Li Hui? I couldn’t remember the name before, but now I remember you!”

It wouldn’t be easy to activate the teleportation array again; even with the Emperor’s jade sword in hand, they would have to wait three months. Noble Concubine Wan was madly seeking revenge, as her son had suffered the impact of calamity power, leaving his three souls and seven spirits incomplete. She herself had also been gravely injured; how could she let this go?

Not to mention three months, even three or thirty years would not erase the events of this night; the repercussions would be profound.

Li Hui left without a care, leaving the mess behind. With the enhancement of the silver snake bracelet, the Heavenly and Earthly Arrays attracted vast amounts of spiritual energy into the treasure cabinet, generating endless potential—his efforts were not in vain.

The treasure cabinet’s nurturing effect on the body was more effective than any miraculous alchemy. The Spirit Motion Nine Patterns remained active, ready to transform the Gathering Spirit seal but was still suppressed by his will.

If he could fuse it with Qian Yuan Black Gold, and cultivate his Ideal Body to the corresponding level of mid-Gather Spirit, it would solidify his Ideal Shadow behind him, allowing him to reach the optimal outcome when he later advanced to the Gathering Spirit stage.

The ship trembled, and the sky began to glow with dawn’s light. In less than an hour, they had crossed two years of travel time, calculated at the speed of the Wave Breaking Cone.

Far away from the Grand Xuan Dynasty, Li Hui felt a wave of relief. At that moment, he heard someone shouting outside the ship, “Hey, why is only one boat coming this time?”

Huo Qiniang, beaming, stepped forward and said, “How many merchants are waiting here? They can come aboard to take a look. We have prepared many goods—the Grand Xuan is rich in resources, and we guarantee your satisfaction.”

No matter how much stock they had, they needed to first establish their reputation.

Li Hui then remembered that the treasure cabinet was storing many spoils of war. He went first, then called Zhong Yuan and Jin Feng to move the items, followed by the crew taking their turn, categorizing and storing everything awaiting sale.

With the inventory from Jiu Feng City added, Huo Qiniang stood tall, negotiating with many merchants.

When they heard that this ship was collecting fragments of artifacts, the merchants gasped, almost thinking they had misheard. Once they received confirmation, the news caused a commotion.

This was Thousand Islands, where the Refining Artifact Sect had more than a hundred branches. Since the Tianlu Sect began accepting disciples, there had been even more artifact masters. Each day, countless wasted artifacts that couldn’t be recovered piled up. The fact that someone was actually seeking to collect these things was simply beyond belief!

Regardless of how unbelievable it was, Li Hui instructed Qiniang to do her utmost to stockpile artifacts and fragments of treasures, as well as ready-made artifacts. He cleared out all idle spiritual talismans at hand, even offering complete talisman formations for sale to see which merchant brought in the most goods.

This rare opportunity could not be wasted; before returning to the White Sea, he vowed to raise the success rate for creating talismans to over sixty percent.

While Huo Qiniang flourished, Li Hui chose to enter seclusion.

The Enamel Dragon Crystals split again, soaring from six thousand four hundred pieces to thirty-six thousand. The concentration of spiritual energy in the Thousand Islands gradually decreased, encompassing most of the scattered islands surrounding it.

In the Thousand Islands, practitioners refined artifacts while those from the outer islands delved underwater to gather minerals and treasures, especially the ones from Wan Shui Sect.

Over time, the outer islands devised many methods to avoid water and ways to lure spiritual beings to the surface to fish, thus earning the name “Thousand Islands Lure.”

The first thing Li Hui did in seclusion was to expend the enhancement power of the silver snake bracelet. If he continued amplifying, not to mention if the Heavenly and Earthly Arrays could withstand it, the impact on the practitioners from Thousand Islands would be too great. They would certainly do anything to trace the source and hunt down the "great thief."

Inside the cabin, a human-skin scripture lay on the table, with incense smoke rising, curling like human shapes.

“Swift!”

Several purification talismans rubbed against each other, transforming into a white light that landed on the scripture, instantly reducing its sinister aura by half, revealing two shadowy figures.

“Dust returns to dust, earth returns to earth; all past affairs are gone! Ten years of life and death are ambiguous, unthought of means forgotten. Since both esteemed scholars have not fallen and can still escape this scripture, it is time to set forth!”

The two figures bowed deeply to Li Hui, and the ninth-grade golden lotus emitted two beams of golden light, restoring their elegant forms as they quickly dissipated.

This human-skin scripture required the eighteenth generation of evil monks to slice off the skin from the chests of learned scholars and seal their souls within. Afterward, it took the chanting of the evil monks over three thousand six hundred times to create a true scripture of great destruction. To destroy it would invite misfortune.

Under normal circumstances, Li Hui wouldn’t dare touch it, but with the silver snake bracelet’s great power, each talisman acted like a treasure talisman—what was there to fear?

Purification talismans, cleansing talismans, persuasion talismans, clean talismans fell in succession, lowering the ominous aura of the human-skin scripture to its lowest point and gradually unsealing the captured souls. He successfully sent away ten scholar remnants but could not resolve the hatred of the eight remaining souls, which was rooted deeply in their long-lasting grievances.

“Come, come, come…” Li Hui invoked a summoning talisman, saying, “Since you cannot untie your heart’s entanglement, then you may obey my command! To remain in the mortal realm, you must have a foundation. This Five Ghosts Transportation Talisman can serve as your dwelling. I implore the eight of you to distribute the five souls and ascend together, forming the Five Spirits Transformation Talisman, which will give rise to various wonders. One day, you may clear the clouds and see the moonlight, regaining your memories and understanding the hidden truths!”

“Shh…” Five among the eight souls stepped forward through green smoke as Li Hui swiftly moved his fingers to perform hand seals, empowering them with the mysterious power of the silver snake bracelet.

With the entry of the five souls, the Five Ghosts stood in formation, and silver light surged.

As the hazy light and shadows gathered, they slowly formed a Five Spirits Transformation Talisman, appearing like an expansive entrance with five learned scholars seated within, each accompanied by a strongman.

“There are still three souls. I have a bamboo tablet here; with the Gathering Spirit Talisman, Tranquility Talisman, and Spiritual Thought Talisman as guides, help me compile and summarize the chapters of texts in the future! The sea of knowledge is boundless; crossing the mountain of books, I hope you can revive the majestic spirit!” Li Hui bowed thrice toward the incense burner, casually casting a lava talisman to incinerate the great scripture of destruction, finally eliminating this malignancy.

Next came the most crucial task. Li Hui took out the Mysterious Pearl and asked, “Yao’er, how is the cultivation of the Green Emperor Yuanhong Vine progressing? I have decided to construct my Personal Artifact.”

“Ah! If you could give me a few more months, the condition would surely improve greatly,” Yao’er replied.

“I can’t wait that long. Legends say that the Green Emperor Yuanhong Vine has boundless uses, serving as the best carrier for artifacts. Let’s see what marvelous properties it possesses!”