Chapter 787: Following Along
At the peak of Dao Mountain.
Inside Tianyi Palace.
Li Yi's Primordial Spirit Dharma Image sat on the Lotus Platform, enveloped by a sea of incense. Around him, treasure light blossomed, five qi intertwined, and as he inhaled and exhaled, nature's spiritual energy surged forth.
During this period, he did not idle. After entrusting the restoration of his mother's physical body to several Immortals, he continued his cultivation.
Accumulating such a vast amount of incense power, if not utilized, would surely be a waste of a precious resource.
Through the power of incense, Li Yi attempted to open more acupoints within the human body.
Moreover, he left most of the incense power on the Red Lotus, refraining from allowing his Primordial Spirit to absorb it, for once he departs this world, the incense power would dissipate, unable to last long. Instead, he used it to nurture external entities.
Supreme Treasure Red Lotus was the best choice.
Just like his father, Emperor Shenwu, who nurtured a Jade Seal with incense, now it has become intelligent, destined to be a very powerful magic treasure in the future.
And after absorbing oceans of incense power, Supreme Treasure Red Lotus underwent many incredible changes.
Red treasure light continuously blossomed, nourishing the Primordial Spirit Dharma Image, allowing Li Yi's Primordial Spirit Dharma Image to make noticeable progress in a short time. Furthermore, under the blessing of incense, the Red Lotus seemed to start gaining intelligence, gradually developing a spirit.
However, this was not Li Yi's primary concern at the moment.
His worry was whether his mother could be resurrected successfully, shedding the identity of the black cat.
Fortunately, a resolution to Li Yi's concern soon emerged.
On this day.
Atop Dao Mountain, a surge of overwhelming Life Qi spread out, instantly reviving all creatures on the mountain. Ancient trees extended their branches and leaves, all kinds of flowers bloomed on cliffs, and amidst floating clouds and mists, a rain of life began to fall.
This blessing covered the three hundred li of the Capital, where those who bathed in the rain were relieved of all ailments, feeling light and healthy.
Faced with this miracle, the citizens of the Capital revered Dao Mountain, a vast amount of incense power continuously gathered toward the mountain's summit.
Meanwhile.
"It's successful, the body is recreated, the Primordial Spirit is restored."
With the assistance of Xuan Yuezi, Xiang Xiangzi, Yun Feizi, and several other Immortals, the body reconstruction was completed that day, and as a soul entered the new vessel, Zheng Xiuyu was thoroughly resurrected.
Everything went smoothly, without any suspense.
Approximately a moment later.
A young woman emerged from the depths of Xiangyun, her entire being permeated with incense power, as she gracefully moved, emitting copious amounts of Cosmic Energy, bursting with formidable strength.
Due to the presence of Divine Blood within the new body, its potential was boundless; a few steps equaled those of a Divine Blood Direct Lineage Warrior. If cultivated, the future would undoubtedly be illustrious.
"Good, very good."
At this moment, Emperor Shenwu, Li Jiye, had been waiting at the mountain's peak for many days, and seeing his wife regain life today, his heart was filled with inexplicable joy.
Previously, a soul form had its deficiencies, could only become a god in the Incense World, limiting future achievements, but now it was different. From now on, he and his wife could move forward hand in hand, seeking immortality as they once did.
"I never thought I would actually come back to life, now it seems so easy to reconstruct the body?" Zheng Xiuyu was quite astonished, looking around again, taking a deep breath, feeling the beauty of the world.
Everything seemed like a dream.
And seeing this scene, Li Jiye's joy was mixed with guilt.
Only he understood how difficult it was to bring someone back to life, but Li Yi managed to do it. One can only imagine the effort and sacrifice needed during this period.
After Zheng Xiuyu's resurrection, several Immortals did not remain idle, continuing to reconstruct the body for Master Yulian.
Nature's spiritual energy gathered once more.
Xiang Xiangzi and Xuan Yuezi once again took out a portion of Divine Blood and Life Water, starting to condense a second body.
Seeing the Immortals busy, Emperor Shenwu, Li Jiye, did not stay long at Dao Mountain, instead taking his wife Zheng Xiuyu and leaving, returning to the Imperial Palace.
After some time.
At the peak of Dao Mountain, the initial Buddhist light shone, with Brahma sound rising.
Master Yulian regained her body, returning once again, the spiritual energy of the four corners of the world gathered, condensing into a giant solemn and dignified Bodhisattva Dharma Image, with frequent extraordinary phenomena.
Unlike Li Yi's mother, her Primordial Spirit itself was very strong, and now the regained body had more potential than her original one. If she practices diligently for a while, her power could advance further, becoming stronger.
After Li Yi confirmed his mother Zheng Xiuyu was thoroughly resurrected, he ceased cultivation and quickly left Dao Mountain for the Imperial Palace, preparing for a family reunion.
Upon returning to the Capital, Li Yi heard the news that Emperor Shenwu was celebrating the enthronement of a new Empress, rejoicing across the land.
Such a significant event in the past, Li Jiye certainly would not have decided immediately, but now it's different. The world is settled, he has unified the dynasty, commands both the Golden Eyes Guard and Jinyi Guard, coupled with the Immortals' assistance from Dao Mountain, he is undoubtedly the most powerful Emperor in history, without exception.
Even the founding emperor had to be controlled by the gods of incense all over the world, but Li Jiye went on a rampage, almost killing all the big and small Fur Gods under heaven. Now, apart from the newly appointed True Gods in the court of Emperor Shenwu, incense fire gods do not exist outside the court.
Under such circumstances, Li Jiye could almost do as he pleased.
However, Li Yi also understood why his father, Li Jiye, wanted to immediately appoint his mother. It was to let her quickly enjoy the incense of the people to aid her Cultivation and compensate for her innate shortcomings.
As the family gathered, the past vividly appeared before their eyes.
But everyone was a cultivator, and Li Yi was no longer the young man in his early twenties. He had grown and experienced much, so the family was harmonious without much sentimental attachment.
"Yi, what are your plans next?" Li Jiye asked.
Li Yi replied earnestly, "Return to Earth, repel the invaders. Although enjoying life in this world is a good thing, one cannot forget their roots, so I plan to go back and contribute."
"Very well, protecting the country is a good thing, and I support it. However, my Golden Eyes Guard and Jinyi Guard have not yet been trained; the time is too short. If possible, I suggest waiting a bit longer," Li Jiye said. "After all, your mother has just been resurrected and needs some time for Cultivation."
At this moment, he wanted to be more cautious and continue to develop for a few more years.
The combination of the Incense Fire Skill with the Evolution Method or the Cultivation Technique can greatly enhance one's strength. The longer the time, the more masters can be produced by then.
If given Li Jiye twenty years, he could pull out an army of cultivators, each with strength not inferior to the Great Demons.
After all, the potential of this world is still very large.
As the territory expands, the population increases, and the incense becomes more prosperous... in time, his forces will rival those of a major realm; the Demon God Realm, the Xuanxian Continent—what are they but things that can be destroyed with a flip of the hand.
However, Li Yi shook his head and said: "Earth cannot wait that long; many worlds' strong have already stepped in, and besides dad, you don't need to worry, I've already made some plans. I brought nearly fifty masters from the End of Dharma Cultivation World, and now their strength has mostly recovered. I plan to gather them and first take a look at the Earth Defense Line."
"Yi, you're being too reckless, jumping into a cross-world war with just dozens of masters. One slight oversight, and I fear…" Zheng Xiuyu frowned next to him.
"If I team up with a few Immortals, I can defeat a Demon King and be almost invincible on Earth, so there won't be any danger," Li Yi said. "Mom, you don't have to worry; if there's truly a big issue, I won't fight to the death. I'll just open the Cross-border Gate and escape back to the Incense World."
Without worries, he would naturally act boldly and aggressively.
Although waiting for his father, Li Jiye, to train experts and then cross-worlds back would be more secure, Li Yi understood that what truly decides the outcome of a war is never just the number of people, but the top-notch strong ones.
Still, it can't be said that a large number of experts are of no use; Earth is so big and still needs many people to guard it.
But waiting until the experts from the Incense World have cultivated successfully, Li Yi feels it will be too late.
Those enemies will not wait so long.
As Emperor Shenwu, Li Jiye pondered for a moment and said: "Yi, let's do as you said first. I will also prepare for cross-world actions here. Leave a few Cross-border Machines, and I will use forces to seek out this world's miracles. If it really doesn't work, gather the power of the cultivators to open the Cross-border Gate."
"Alright, I'll leave five Cross-border Machines," Li Yi nodded. "All these machines have recorded the world coordinates I've experienced, except that World No. 36 cannot be accessed, while other worlds can."
"Your mother and I got stuck in World No. 36; that eerie place, we dare not go again." At the mention of that strange world, Li Jiye couldn't help but shiver.
The ghosts of this world are rather cute, only knowing to bewilder scholars, share the bed with them, and steal their Essence Qi.
The family continued discussing future matters.
Aside from some details, the general plan was set.
After staying a while in the Imperial Palace, Li Yi decided to take action.
He returned to Dao Mountain and summoned several Immortals.
"Is it time for cross-world battles? I'm good at this, and I'll join you this time." Xiang Xiangzi was very active at this moment, having grown a bit bored with Cultivation in this world and hoping to cross worlds for some fun.
"Dao Mountain cannot be left unattended, so this time Xiang Xiangzi, I, Concubine Yun, and Senior Sister Miao Huizi will follow Taiyi across worlds, while the other two junior sisters are still recuperating, so let them stay in this realm," Xuan Yuezi said earnestly.
The other two Taoist Nuns are Ling Yinzi and Wumengzi, although revived with incense and reshaped their bodies, but because they haven't been revived for long, their strength is weak. Once crossing the world without incense support, their power will greatly reduce and be useless for the situation, so they have been in retreat, which Li Yi has not seen.
"What about Feiyunzi? His strength has now been restored and he has been appointed as the Mountain God of Dao Mountain, but his body has not yet recovered," Xuan Yuezi said.
Li Yi remembered that last time he had sent the seriously injured Feiyunzi to this world, using the power of incense to repair his Primordial Spirit.
Xiang Xiangzi curled her lips and said: "Forget it, his strength is just like that, and reshaping a body is quite troublesome. Let him stay here and be a Mountain God."
Hearing this, Li Yi said: "This time I'll not bring Feiyunzi, but once the other two Taoist Nuns recover, please help Feiyunzi restore his physical body, as he was hurt helping me, and cannot be left unattended."
However, Xiang Xiangzi is also right; Feiyunzi's strength really isn't much. As a Loose Cultivator who has gone through the End of Dharma, even with the Tao Flower blooming, it's hard to even beat a Great Demon. Staying in this world to accumulate strength is a good thing for him.
It's better to leave the fighting and battles to these Taoist Nuns.
"Alright, I will instruct Ling Yinzi and Wumengzi, and leave some Divine Blood and Life Water," Xuan Yuezi nodded, then immediately turned and flew towards a grand hall.
At this moment, Li Yi also took out the Cross-border Machine. He said, "Let's first go to the Barbaric World, where we need to fetch some weapons. After such a long time, I believe Tian Gong Taoist won't disappoint me."
"Tian Gong Taoist? That bald guy's senior brother? I'd like to see how powerful the Red Gold Dao Artifacts he crafted are," Xiang Xiangzi's eyes lit up, a bit impatient.
With the Dao Artifacts, their strength can be better exerted.