Under the management of Lu Li and the others, Blackstone City flourished day by day.
Of course, to the outside world, it was the Celestial Fox Saint who had accepted Blackstone City and won the first stage of the Demon Race Trial.
They were to rebuild and restructure the city that belonged to them. Both emotionally and logically, there was no issue.
Nowadays in Blackstone City, the occasional killings on the streets had decreased significantly.
Those bloodthirsty demon cultivators, or those who had to eat meat, also had specialized streets and shops to satisfy their appetites.
And the herbivorous demon race, thanks to the Six Techniques of the Heavenly Fox, were able to stand alongside the carnivorous demon race on the Merit Book for the first time.
At least under Blackstone City’s new regulations, they were no longer just food in the eyes of the strong.
At the same time, the demon cultivators who had obtained the Six Techniques of the Heavenly Fox began to actively expand their territory.
Being able to own a piece of land around Blackstone City, have their own small mansion, or even a small village—that was something they had never dreamed of before.
But under the Celestial Fox Saint’s management, everything seemed so natural.
While high-level demon cultivators were busy building their territories, low-level demon cultivators and ordinary demons also entered the academy run by Liu Qingyun.
They studied the most basic knowledge and simple moral codes.
As the city closest to the Human Celestial Calculation City, Blackstone City had always had exchanges with humans.
In matters of clothing, food, shelter, transportation, customs, and rituals, they had gradually accepted a series of human concepts.
Not to mention Liu Qingyun’s systematic teachings, which had improved Blackstone City’s public order by several levels compared to before.
Of course, the most crucial point was that the “Sustain War through War” plan discussed by Lu Li and Liu Qingxi was proceeding smoothly.
The Heavenly Furnace operated ceaselessly underground, transforming the ferocious Frenzied Beasts into spirit stones that warmed the demon hearts.
The black stones produced as a byproduct also became fertilizer for spirit fields or the most solid material for construction.
“The first stage is complete.”
Lu Li looked at the Blackstone City report Liu Qingxi had handed him, letting out a sigh of relief.
“I didn’t expect you to achieve this much.”
Liu Qingxi also withdrew the jade disk projection of the entire city.
“The initial plan was just to kill demon beasts and frenzied beasts.”
“We did do those two things, but we just managed a demon city on top of that.”
Lu Li folded the report and counted the items in his storage bracelet.
“I plan to break through to the Dragon Revelation Stage. I’ll need you to protect me.”
“So fast?!”
Liu Qingxi’s divine sense instinctively swept over Lu Li’s body, then she closed her eyes and sighed.
“Heaven is unjust.”
“Sister Lu not only cultivates quickly, but her martial arts and strategy are top grade, and even her appearance is stunningly beautiful—a smile could topple a city.”
When Liu Qingxi opened her eyes again, they were also full of sorrow.
“Normally, one gains and loses. What has Sister Lu lost?”
“This…”
Lu Li listened and then gave a bitter smile.
He had indeed given up what was most important to him. And he wouldn’t see it until half a year later. Moreover, during this time, if he was careless, he might truly lose it completely.
“Enough, I won’t pry into everyone’s secrets.”
Liu Qingxi slapped the jade disk and looked at the hexagram symbol floating up.
“Go ahead. I’ll protect you.”
“Thank you.”
Lu Li performed a bow with his sleeves, and Liu Qingxi also smiled and returned the bow.
After that, one went forward, the other went back.
The underground chamber of the Celestial Fox Clan’s estate.
In the history of the demon race, this place was originally for the Celestial Fox Saint to cultivate, so it stored quite a few spirit stones, pills, and magical artifacts.
However, Lu Li had hardly used them; he had taken them all out during the reform of Blackstone City.
With his own Divine Charm Spirit Root, pills and spirit stones were not the focus.
What truly mattered was how his inner heart was.
“Master… Father, I think I know why I cultivate immortality.”
Lu Li arrived at the chamber, sat down with his eyes closed.
“To protect ordinary humans, and also to protect those ordinary demons who couldn’t even grasp their own fate…”
“To make their lives a little better.”
“Although it’s not a very grand goal, as a cultivator, I can do more than ordinary people, so I must bear more responsibilities.”
“That’s all.”
Using divine sense to look inward, Lu Li saw the magnificent rivers and whirlpools within his body.
Now, the 408 acupoints were completely connected, and each whirlpool spewed pure True Yuan.
If anyone could see this, they would surely marvel at this immortal mountain and divine water.
“Next, the Dragon Revelation Stage.”
Lu Li floated high above, raising his arms.
Hum…
In an instant, the distant clouds and mist dispersed.
At the end of the mist sea was a Thirty-Three Heavens’ Palace, piercing the sky.
Clearly not a mortal object.
Below it were 408 spirit pools, with endless rivers flowing around them, as if guarding the palace.
‘I can’t see the end at all…’
Even within his own body, when Lu Li looked up, he could only see the sky covered by mist.
‘As for the refining of the Thirty-Three Passes…’
While in thought, Lu Li floated toward the first palace gate that suppressed the ground. He waved his arm, and the surrounding rivers instantly converged around him, like stars in the sky.
Then, these scattered spiritual energies were gradually attracted by the palace gate. The originally dim Thirty-Three Heavens’ Palace now emitted a faint light.
‘Pink-gold color…’
As Lu Li gazed, he discovered the color of the palace gradually solidifying.
‘I see… On one hand, Yin and Yang are harmonized; on the other, Sword and Charm Spirit Roots coexist.’
With a slight movement of his mind, the originally surging rivers suddenly changed course, splitting off a direct stream to the bottom of the palace.
In an instant, the Thirty-Three Heavens’ Palace, like a dragon drinking water, caused the rivers to flow upside down.
The originally turbulent spirit springs showed signs of drying up in a moment.
“Bewitch Heart.”
Lu Li murmured.
His nine tails instantly bloomed, and the free spiritual energy between heaven and earth once again condensed into thick mist, then turned into a torrential rain of spiritual energy falling down.
The spiritual rain did not cease, causing the Thirty-Three Heavens’ Palace to absorb even more.
‘One layer of the palace is essentially equal to the True Yuan stored in the 408 spirit acupoints.’
Lu Li sighed in admiration again at the explorations of previous cultivators.
‘No wonder Liu Qingxi was so shocked. No wonder each stage of immortal cultivation is extremely difficult—like a natural chasm.’
‘It’s been a while since I left the sect. I wonder how Qing Luo and the others are…’
Lu Li watched as the color of the first layer of the palace became more and more vivid and splendid.
“Enchanting Sound.”
His voice became softer at this moment.
The clouds in the sky began to turn gray, and a large amount of spiritual rain poured down, washing over the spirit acupoints, causing the second layer of the palace to also take on a bright color like morning glow.
‘An ordinary cultivator can only let True Qi enter a little over twenty acupoints in a year.’
‘To complete Self-Cultivation, it would take another twenty-plus years.’
‘And to attack the first layer of the Dragon Revelation Palace would take that much time again.’
‘For thirty-three passes, just one pass would take over six hundred years.’
Lu Li calculated silently in his heart.
‘If an ordinary cultivator doesn’t take pills, they will probably die of old age without entering the Foundation Establishment Dragon Revelation stage… One step, one chasm—truly not wrong.’
‘But for me, it’s only a short half month.’
Lu Li looked up at the towering palace.
‘And this one layer consumes the True Yuan of 408 spirit acupoints.’
‘No wonder Master Wanqiu has always remained at the Self-Cultivation Stage. When I go back after this mission, Master Wanqiu might have to call me senior sister.’
Thinking this, Lu Li looked at the universe within his body. Thunder rumbled without cease, and heavy rain fell without end.
In the rain sound like popping beans, he was actually lost in a daze.
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