Chapter 622: Flower, Bird, Fish, Insect
At the center of Jade Gathering City was a white pagoda that stretched all the way up into the clouds.
All of a sudden, Su Liu appeared in a side hall within the pagoda, and beside him was a white-robed young man who was seated in a chair, sipping on some spirit tea.
Upon spotting Su Liu, he remained seated as he remarked, "You intentionally let those two get away, didn't you?"
Su Liu took an indifferent glance at the white-robed man, then asked, "You saw everything?"
"That man in purple had spatial law powers up his sleeve, but with your powers, you were perfectly capable of preventing him from getting away. Why did you do that? Those old geezers aren't as easy to fool as Gongshu Tian. If the higher-ups find out about this, it could be bad for you," the white-robed man said.
"That man's identity is quite sensitive, so capturing him would've spelled far more trouble. Even if the higher-ups find out about this, they won't blame me for what I did," Su Liu replied.
"Oh? Who is he?" the white-robed man asked with a surprised expression.
"He's from the Vast Origin House," Su Liu repiled.
The surprise in the white-robed man's eyes became even more pronounced upon hearing this, and he asked, "Are you sure?"
"I know what I'm doing," Su Liu assured.
"Then what about Silver Fox? He's a renowned fugitive on the Immortal Slaying List. You could've easily captured Silver Fox while letting his companion go," the white-robed man said.
Su Liu's expression darkened slightly in the face of the white-robed man's persistent questioning, and he said, "I told you that I know what I'm doing. I have my reasons for letting Silver Fox go. Everything will become clear to you in the future."
The white-robed man could see that he wasn't going to be able to get an answer out of Su Liu, so he could only shake his head with a wry smile.
......
In a certain secret chamber in Jade Gathering City.
"What a farce that turned out to be! After what just happened, who's going to dare to attend the Jade Kun Pagoda auction in the future? I'll be sure to report this matter to my superiors. If worse comes to worst, we'll just have to cancel our collaboration with the Black Mountain Immortal Palace. Otherwise, the reputation of our Hundred Creations Mountain will be swept to the ground sooner or later!" Daoist Master Jingyang Jingyang grumbled.
"Don't get so worked up, Fellow Daoist Jingyang. You were never all that interested in overseeing affairs related to the auction anyway, so why not just return to your life of relaxation in the Leisure Valley and leave this to someone else?" Han Li chuckled.
Despite his relaxed and casual facade, internally, there was a great deal of lingering fear in his heart. If he had outbid Silver Fox for that Myriad Soul Herb during the auction, he would've been the one detained by the Immortal Palace.
"I'm afraid the Leisure Valley is also no longer the place it used to be," Daoist Master Jingyang sighed.
"Let's not discuss these vexing matters anymore. How about we take a look at the beast bone that you purchased at the auction?" Han Li proposed.
"Fellow Daoist Li, why does it feel to me like you're more of a businessman than you are a pill refinement master?" Daoist Master Jingyang asked as he raised an eyebrow.
"I already told you that our third mountain master had a very strange personality, so who knows how he decided on these names? Perhaps it was simply on a whim. I can see that you're eager to see what's inside this Fish Branch, so I won't waste any more time," Daoist Master Jingyang chuckled, then began to engrave a small array onto the ground around the octagonal box.
After that, he pulled out the Fish Branch before placing it onto the upside-down octagonal box.
"I didn't think the process would be so complicated," Han Li remarked with slightly furrowed brows.
"If it wasn't complicated, that clueless Golden Immortal would've already opened it," Daoist Master Jingyang replied.
"That's true," Han Li said with a nod.
"The array that I've engraved onto the ground is called the Eight Origins Unraveling Array. Following the demise of their original owner, some domain treasures cannot be opened by anyone else, and the only way to reopen such a domain treasure would be refine it using this array, after which one will be able to open and close the treasure at will like a storage ring," Daoist Master Jingyang explained.
"I see."
"Alright, I have to focus now, so don't distract me," Daoist Master Jingyang said as a serious look appeared on his face.
Han Li immediately made his way to the side of the room, where he continued to observe in silence.
Meanwhile, Daoist Master Jingyang began to make a hand seal while silently chanting an incantation.
Through observing his lips, Han Li was able to get a rough idea of what he was chanting, but this was clearly not a reliable method to learn the incantation, and with that in mind, Han Li's brows became slightly furrowed.
Moments later, Daoist Master Jingyang raised a finger to release a beam of white light into the beast bone, and a layer of resplendent silver light instantly appeared over its surface, then spread over the entire bone, while a golden fish design roughly the size of a copper coin appeared on the tip of the bone.
"Please wait a moment while I refine this treasure, and after that, we'll be able to open it," Daoist Master Jingyang said to Han Li as he picked up the Fish Branch.
Han Li was still pondering the incantation that he had just extrapolated, and he nodded silently in response.
Daoist Master Jingyang sat down with his legs crossed, then brought his palms together with the bone clasped between them to commence the refinement process.
Only after around six hours had passed did he rise to his feet. At this point, he was sweating profusely, and it seemed that he had just severely exerted himself.
Despite his weary expression, his eyes were glowing with joy, and he smiled as he declared, "It's time to reap the spoils, Fellow Daoist Li."
"I'm excited to see what's inside," Han Li replied with a smile of his own.
Daoist Master Jingyang swept a hand over the Fish Branch, and all of a sudden, it became completely transparent, while the bright silver light that was emanating from it transformed into a door of light that was around ten feet tall.
A glimmer of green could be seen within the door of light, and a gentle breeze was also blowing out of it.
"Come on in, Fellow Daoist Li," Daoist Master Jingyang invited, then stepped into the door of light, disappearing out of sight.
1. For more information on the Domain Bead, please refer to RMJI Chapter 2304: Domain Bead. ☜