Taiyi Dao Fruit

Moonlight was as cool as water...

At least for Jiang Li, the moonlight of the approaching summer was still quite chilly, colder than his own body.

Jiang Li, like a human serpent, slithered out of the small window of the Stone House, followed by the transformed Mo Wu Battle Box.

He lay on the ground, his body twisting, and after using the Bone Shrinking Technique, his body reverted to its original form, followed by him gasping for air for a while before he shakily got up.

"This petty woman..." Jiang Li, shivering, leaned against the wall.

Too ruthless, both Gongsun Qingyue and Jiang Li himself.

The two, neither large-hearted nor trustworthy, had remained in a stalemate, clinging to each other even as their consciousness began to blur, until one of them fell, finally ending their mutual torment.

The one who persevered to the end was Jiang Li.

Relying on his body, which had undergone the Bone Marrow Cleansing several times, and tapping into his potential at a crucial moment, he managed to endure until Gongsun Qingyue, who was of a higher realm, could no longer stand, emerging as the last man standing.

But that was it.

After Gongsun Qingyue showed the dark face, Jiang Li also relaxed and almost passed out, unable to continue restraining Gongsun Qingyue.

Honestly, it was a pyrrhic victory.

He placed his hand on the Mo Wu Battle Box, thought moved, and for the first time, the battle box truly transformed. Amid a series of crisp noises, parts assembled and restructured, and the huge battle box turned into a cane, which Jiang Li leaned on.

Perhaps even Elder Tianpeng could not have imagined that the first time the Mo Wu Battle Box would be put to use, it would be in the form of a cane.

However, for Jiang Li at that moment, that cane was more valuable than many divine weapons.

He was too tired.

He couldn't use his True Qi Silence, his Essence Element had been severely depleted during the standoff, and his Divine Essence was almost exhausted due to the confrontation with Gongsun Qingyue.

'But compared to me, Gongsun Qingyue must be worse off.'

Jiang Li forced a smile, his eyes scouring Si Fan Valley like a ravenous wolf.

Now, Gongsun Qingyue's main body must be unconscious, and if Jiang Li could find her now, she would be in for a sight.

Unfortunately, Jiang Li couldn't manage that.

He was always magnanimous and wouldn't nitpick. Since he had already caused Gongsun Qingyue to suffer, he wouldn't push further. It definitely wasn't because Elder Tianpeng might be watching, or because he was running out of energy.

Definitely not.

"This time, I'll let you off."

Muttering to himself, Jiang Li, using the cane, bent over and walked unsteadily towards the valley entrance.

The prolonged battle had left Jiang Li's legs weak, barely able to stand, and he felt like he had been fished out of water, covered in sweat, making him quite uncomfortable. Thus, tired as he was, he still forced himself to go out for a bath.

Perhaps it was the only habit from his previous life he retained; he loved cleanliness.

From inside the valley going out, what usually took a quarter of an hour took him nearly half an hour this time.

The Si Fan Valley wasn't guarded, or rather, there was no need for guards. After all, it was meant for disciples to reflect on their faults, not a prison for severe offenders. If you were dishonest and escaped, they would deduct good deeds and make you face the wall twice as long, the Sect had plenty of ways to punish.

So, Jiang Li had a smooth departure.

Afterwards, he walked to the edge of the island, which took him more than half an hour.

When the waters of Dinghu submerged Jiang Li's body, he couldn't help but let out a sigh.

"Comfortable."

At the same time, because he had left the ground, the previously silent True Qi revived with a hint of agility. Jiang Li then slowly mobilized his True Qi, circulated his Innate Skill, and started to restore his strength.

A crystalline color gradually emerged on his body. As the condensed liquid True Qi flowed throughout his body, Jiang Li's skin slowly became slightly transparent, especially around the abdomen. The skin and muscles switched to a crystal-like hue, allowing a direct view of the internal organs in motion and the circulation of True Qi.

For the first time, Jiang Li's body completely exhibited the Divine Farmer's appearance.

A scene that had previously only appeared in his mind was now displayed in reality for the first time.

This seemed to be due to the potential stimulated earlier, as well as possibly the confrontation just now.

Jiang Li felt it was a combination of both, particularly the latter. He had fought until his consciousness blurred and his Essence Element was exhausted—wasn't this also a form of destruction followed by establishment?

Although the process was a bit unsightly, upon closer examination, this indeed constituted a major breakdown and breakthrough.

Jiang Li immersed himself in deep thought. The scene in his mind and the Crystal Belly in reality contrasted each other, True Qi condensed into liquid, flowing softly. An unselfish state of selflessness, a state of desirelessness, naturally emerged.

At that moment, his spirit entered the legendary Wise Man Time from the tales—no joy, no sorrow, utterly serene and empty; even the great purity and great freedom spoken of in Buddhism did not exceed this.

The gradually rejuvenating True Qi followed its nature, resonating with his clear and bright mental state, gradually cleansing his body. Gradually, Jiang Li's body was covered with a layer of crystal hue, and invisible ripples began to expand from him as the center.

In the deepest part of Si Fan Valley, Elder Tianpeng, who was engrossed in books and never left them, suddenly felt a surge of blood and sweat, with his vital energy vaguely pointing somewhere.

"Has his cultivation body actually improved again?"

Realizing the source of the surge, Elder Tianpeng couldn't help but show a bittersweet expression, "This actually works?!"

Although Elder Tianpeng had deliberately restrained his Divine Sense and no longer paid attention to what was happening in the valley after sensing the clash between Jiang Li and Gongsun Qingyue, he still had some guesses about what ensued.

That was also why Elder Tianpeng found Jiang Li's current progress amusingly ironic.

It was almost too theatrical.

Yet, beyond the incredulity, Elder Tianpeng also made a discovery.

'His foundation is too solid; is his compatibility with the Ochre Whip this high? Sending him to undergo Bone Marrow Cleansing, yet it resulted in complete rebirth, laying the most solid foundation. If this were before the End of Dharma, he would have already soared skyward by now.'

Elder Tianpeng knew that Jiang Li's progress was partly due to the Wise Man Time, but primarily it was thanks to the opportunity that the Ochre Whip provided him.

And since he knew, Elder Tianpeng was all the more astonished.

Because if it was merely Jiang Li's own clever manipulation and fortunate timing that led to his progress, that would only demonstrate his good luck and high talent. However, if the Ochre Whip's involvement led to such a transformation, then this scenario was very likely to be reproducible and eventually, the Ochre Whip would truly recognize Jiang Li as its master.

The implications of the latter were much more significant than the former.

'His conflict with the Jiang family is reaching its most intense stage.'

This wave would be felt by anyone with Jiang family bloodline, and Elder Tianpeng was just one of them.

The majority of those within the Sect who sensed it were aligned with Jiang Zhuyun.

That one master of the Jiang Family, repeatedly cornered, was slowly being pushed to the wall, leaving him nearly no room to retreat, either in the Sect or from Jiang Li.