The Tiankun Diqian Orb

Li Yi slightly frowned and said, "I understand about Beidou Sect, but why the Martial Deity Hall..." The Serpent Venerable huffed, "Kid, can't you see? If Balin were not from Martial Deity Hall, how could he contend with Haixin until now? You know, it's impossible for one person's strength to confront a power like Beidou Sect, which, although a minor sect, has some depth..."

Li Yi shook his head, pondering for a moment before saying, "But since Beidou Sect knows the clues to this Tiankun Diqian Orb, how could they easily give up? It seems in the future..."

The Serpent Venerable pondered for a moment and then said, "I guess Beidou Sect only had some clues, and couldn't confirm that the Tiankun Diqian Orb was indeed in the Emperor Tomb. Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent so few people... It seems we were lucky in our misfortune, giving that sealed scroll to Zong Bing was like diverting disaster to others... It's beneficial for our safety."

"What should we do now..."

"Whether they will catch up or not, we can't guarantee. However, if Zong Bing who took the scroll is smart, he won't reveal our whereabouts. In a way, we have paid enough 'toll money'. Rather than worrying about this, it's better to refine this artifact first. I can't offer you much help now, so you becoming stronger is the best we can hope for," said The Serpent Venerable lightly.

"Refining a demon artifact, huh..." Li Yi licked his lips, "Old Coot, how should I refine it? This thing is on the list of demon artifacts, you wouldn't have me start here, would you?"

"Hmm, refine it right here? Otherwise, it's always unsafe, and if it falls into others' hands, it's even more inappropriate," The Serpent Venerable said lightly.

The Serpent Venerable's calm tone made Li Yi hesitate. He gave a wry smile and said, "Old Coot, this thing is a demon artifact! If I start here and any abnormality is discovered, it might be even worse..."

"Stop talking nonsense! Refine it now!" The Serpent Venerable urged impatiently.

Li Yi gave a wry smile, seeing The Serpent Venerable so insistent he had nothing more to say but sighed, "Alright, refine it is. But Old Coot, you have to tell me how to refine it?"

"Simple... just eat it," The Serpent Venerable said lightly.

"What?" Li Yi was startled again... Eat this thing? It had been in the Emperor Tomb for so long, who knows if it had expired, to just swallow it like this, is it a bit...

"Eat it when I tell you to, would I harm you?" The Serpent Venerable seemed to roll his eyes.

"..." After a moment of speechlessness, Li Yi held the Tiankun Diqian Orb in his hand, hesitated for a moment, and then swallowed it. As soon as the Tiankun Diqian Orb entered his mouth, Li Yi felt a cool sensation, which then followed the orb to his dantian. Li Yi grunted, about to stimulate his Fighter Qi to counteract this feeling, but in the blink of an eye, the sensation completely disappeared. If it weren't for his internal observation showing the Tiankun Diqian Orb floating near the vortex of Fighter Qi in his dantian, Li Yi almost thought the orb had just vanished...

After a while, Li Yi slowly opened his eyes, moved his body slightly, and sighed internally, "Old Coot, this Tiankun Diqian Orb isn't a fake, is it? I don't feel anything."

"What kind of feeling do you want? Ecstasy or unbearable pain?" The Serpent Venerable said with a half-smile.

Li Yi's expression froze for a moment, then he said seriously, "Old Coot, you're not fooling me again, are you?"

"Why say 'again'?" The Serpent Venerable spoke lightly, "The Tiankun Diqian Orb isn't something that instantly boosts your strength. You don't need to pay attention to it usually, just cultivate as you do, and its effects will naturally activate... If you want to temporarily use strength one level higher than your current level, you don't need to do much, just a thought and it will happen. Also, as you progress in your cultivation, the Tiankun Diqian Orb will become more closely connected with you, and the time you can use higher-level strength will increase... Overall, this thing grows as you grow; the stronger you are, the more benefits it will bring you."

Li Yi nodded slightly, then asked, "What should I do now?"

"What to do?" The Serpent Venerable seemed slightly amused, "You don't need to do anything special. Just cultivate as you usually do, and it will count as the first step in refining the Tiankun Diqian Orb... Try it and see."

Hearing this, Li Yi nodded, quickly forming a cultivation seal with his hands. As he closed his eyes and breathed, a stream of thin Yuanqi slowly gathered, entering his body with his breath. This faint Yuanqi, when reaching the dantian Qi Sea, didn't rush towards the Fighter Qi vortex as usual but quickly entered the Tiankun Diqian Orb before overflowing back into the Fighter Qi vortex. After being filtered by the Tiankun Diqian Orb, the Yuanqi became even thinner, but with a slight turn in the vortex, the Yuanqi that usually took a long time to refine was now fully assimilated at several times the speed. Li Yi also faintly felt that as the cultivation technique operated, his mind became closely connected with the Tiankun Diqian Orb. This connection, although slight, seemed to have some function...

At this stage, Li Yi's mind stirred slightly, and the Fighter Qi within his body began to whirl rapidly. The Qi surged through his meridians like a tidal wave, eventually condensing on the surface of his body, slowly forming a purple Qi garment tinged with thunder and lightning as he moved. However, this process didn't last long. After a moment, the Qi garment slowly dissipated, and the pervasive Qi throughout his body quickly retracted.

Li Yi slowly opened his eyes, his complexion somewhat pale, but unable to hide his joy. Relying on the Tiankun Diqian Orb, he could forcibly use power beyond his level, with the only cost being a greater consumption of Fighter Qi! This was completely different from borrowing strength from The Serpent Venerable. When using The Serpent Venerable's power, Li Yi was in a passive state, and it could be said that it was The Serpent Venerable fighting, not him. However, using the Tiankun Diqian Orb to access power beyond his level gave him a brand-new experience and feeling. Li Yi was well aware that this experience would be immensely beneficial to his cultivation.

Gradually ending his cultivation state and feeling the peculiar sensation within his body, Li Yi felt for the first time that he had made a great deal this time. With the Tiankun Diqian Orb, how could his cultivation speed not increase? He originally thought that participating in the God Worship Ceremony would at most allow him to advance to a Warrior, but with this item... Heh heh...

"Kid, feeling alright now?" The Serpent Venerable's voice came with a hint of a smile.

Li Yi twisted his slightly stiff neck and responded internally, "Indeed a good item, worthy of being on the list of demon artifacts. Just a thirty-second ranked artifact has such an almost heaven-defying effect, I wonder what the ones ranked within the top ten can do..."

"Hehe, kid, you don't need to know these things now. When the day comes that you can roam unopposed in Tianfeng Empire, I will naturally tell you... And by then, you will understand that the Martial Deity Continent is really big, very big... And the things I want you to do are also very fun, very fun..." Li Yi curled his lips. He had heard this kind of talk from The Serpent Venerable before and knew that no matter how he pressed, he wouldn't get any more information, so he let it go.

"Alright, kid, this little girl is about to wake up, I'm going to rest... Remember, for the next ten or so days, you need to nourish my soul every day. These days, for your sake, kid, I've been worn out..." With the last word, The Serpent Venerable's voice gradually faded, and the redness within the Yunhuang Ring also faded, turning it into an ordinary Storage Ring.

Li Yi touched the Storage Ring in his hand, his thoughts complex... Ordinary Storage Rings don't have the effect of housing a soul entity, but this Yunhuang Ring could, making him wonder if it was also an item from the list of demon artifacts... Given The Serpent Venerable's oddity and perversion, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to think the Yunhuang Ring was also a demon artifact. Previously unaware, now... he thought to probe further when he had the chance.

On the opposite side, Gong Wushuang, who had been meditating, also slowly exhaled. As her hand seals changed, the chill in the carriage gradually receded and returned into her body. Looking at Gong Wushuang's slightly rosy face, Li Yi smiled lightly and said, "Sister Gong, how do you feel now?"

Gong Wushuang frowned and said, "Although I still can't fight, my injuries are about seventy to eighty percent healed... I guess I'll be fully recovered in a day or two! Humph! Fenghuang Haixin! Next time I encounter him, I'll make him pay!"

Li Yi spoke calmly, "Sister Gong, if you need it, there will always be an opportunity. When I have time, I will definitely go to the Imperial Capital to find Zong Bing and reclaim our items. As for Beidou Sect and the Ye family being in cahoots, I also have a score to settle with them..."

Gong Wushuang glanced at Li Yi and said, "Even though you have Emperor-level strength, your apparent strength is so weak. Not to mention Beidou Sect, even the Ye family wouldn't take you seriously, right? By the way... In Najia Town, you used an item from the Ye family, so does that mean... you and the Ye family?"

Li Yi chuckled, "Sister Gong, don't worry, I have no relations with the Ye family... As for that item, it was just something I snatched after killing a member of their family. Do you want to guess who I killed?"

"Wanchao City? Li Yi? Ye family... Ye Qingma?"

Gong Wushuang's expression suddenly changed slightly, looking at Li Yi strangely.

Li Yi calmly said, "Sister Gong, I thought you knew, women being too smart is not something men like... Surprisingly, you don't understand this..."

Gong Wushuang took a deep breath and said, "I wouldn't have guessed, but your hints tonight were meant to make me guess, weren't they? If you have something to say, just say it."

"Hehe, what can I say?" Li Yi spoke softly, "I just want to tell Sister Gong that, in every sense, we are on the same side... Perhaps the three-year agreement troubles you, but it may not be a bad thing... Together, we can take on not just a mere Ye family, but even Beidou Sect... Hehe, I've long been at odds with Beidou Sect and the Ye family, and I suppose your relations with them aren't much better. Sister Gong, would you say... we have a common interest?"

Gong Wushuang snorted, her chest heaving slightly, then spoke calmly, "What you say makes sense, Beidou Sect... they've been too arrogant for too long... But such long-standing issues can't be resolved now, we're still under the pursuit of the two Emperors and seven Kings, we must not be careless... One misstep, and both of us... will have no place to be buried..."