This body is half-demon and half-immortal. Even after she completed her tribulation in her previous life, she still needed to endure five incredibly powerful heavenly lightning strikes, enough to destroy the heavens and the earth, before she would have a chance to ascend to the rank of immortal.
Not to mention that in this life, having lost the crucial inner core essence, he is merely an ordinary mortal body.
With such a fragile body, how could it possibly bear the essence of Yinglong's inner core?
Chi Yan hurriedly retorted, "No, no, although Qin Xiaolin is a reincarnation of a true dragon, he has not yet awakened. His inner core essence is relatively mild. If you can skillfully integrate it, it will not only not cause a backlash, but will also help your cultivation advance by leaps and bounds, allowing you to become an immortal."
Upon hearing this, Li Xi released her grip, but the doubt in her eyes did not completely disappear.
She stared at the crimson flames, a hint of uncertainty in her voice: "You make it sound so easy, but how can I be sure this fusion process won't get out of control? What if my physical body can't handle it? Wouldn't I end up being completely destroyed?"
Seeing a hint of wavering in her expression, Chi Yan was overjoyed.
He quickly pressed on, saying urgently, "This matter is actually not difficult to handle! I happen to know of an ancient ruin hidden deep underground, where there is an extremely mysterious and powerful formation. As long as you and Qin Xiaolin are placed in this formation and the formation is activated, we can cleverly utilize the magical power contained within the formation to ensure that you can safely complete the fusion of your inner core essence."
Upon hearing this, Li Xi frowned slightly and agreed, "Very well, since things have come to this, let's give it a try. However..."
In the blink of an eye, just when Chi Yan was completely unprepared...
Li Xi flashed forward like a ghost, closing in on Chi Yan in the blink of an eye and grabbing his chin.
Then, a black pill emitting a strange fragrance appeared in her other hand.
Without hesitation, he stuffed the pill into Chi Yan's mouth and used his internal force to make it melt quickly, allowing its medicinal effects to spread instantly to every corner of Chi Yan's body.
This mortal stuff is a bit of a hassle, but it's still pretty effective.
Faced with this sudden turn of events, Chi Yan was initially taken aback.
But he quickly realized what was happening and hurriedly mobilized his internal energy to try to force the pill that had just entered his body out of his body.
However, no matter how hard he tried, the pill seemed to have taken root firmly in his body, and he couldn't budge it at all.
Looking at Chi Yan's face, which was flushed red from straining, and the panic in his eyes.
Li Xi's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Don't waste your energy. Once you've helped me successfully cultivate my inner core essence, I'll give you the antidote and restore your freedom. Until then, you'd better behave yourself!"
Chi Yan felt a pang of annoyance. Ling Xi had become so shrewd now, no longer as easily fooled as before.
But since things had come to this point, even though he was unwilling, he had no choice but to submit.
After all, his life and death were now entirely in Li Xi's hands.
Unexpectedly, this trip resulted in a double loss; not only did they fail to obtain the spiritual vein, but they were also controlled by the Spirit Rhinoceros.
Even after he dies of old age, he can still return to the demon realm to continue his cultivation.
As for the spiritual veins, for now, we have no choice but to bury them.
Once Li Xi has successfully obtained the inner core essence, the process will be restarted.
Since Qin Xiaolin is an acquaintance of Li Xi, this matter is easy; she just needs to coax him over.
When Li Xi and her companion returned to the capital, it was already early February. As soon as she arrived, she went to the palace to report to the emperor.
Emperor Wenyuan looked at the many ancient books laid out on the ground and was overjoyed: "Good, my dear minister, I did not expect that you would actually destroy Jiang Yunchao's stronghold this time."
There were many rare ancient books on the table, including martial arts manuals and many long-lost medical books, which recorded various miraculous medical techniques and prescriptions.
There are also various materials about the craftsmanship techniques and weapon forging methods of the previous dynasty.
After leaving the palace, she went straight back to the general's mansion.
Upon seeing his granddaughter whom he hadn't seen in a long time, Wan Yue was overjoyed and hurriedly called out, "Old woman, Xiao Xi is back."
Before she finished speaking, Hongying hurriedly walked out of the inner hall, a smile she couldn't suppress playing on her lips.
"Xiao Xi, my dear granddaughter, you're finally back!" She quickly stepped forward and hugged Li Xi tightly.
Li Xi was initially somewhat resistant and wanted to push him away. But then, remembering something, she embraced him back, albeit in a rather awkward posture.
Ten days ago, Wan Yue received a reply from Li Xi, saying that she had received their letter and was on her way back, and told the two elders and Qin Xiaolin not to worry.
After her meal, she went to the Duke's mansion.
Inside the Duke's mansion, Qin Xiaolin was studying military strategy in his study, his brows furrowed, as if he had encountered some problem.
Upon hearing the servant's report from outside the door, he suddenly looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
He immediately put down the book in his hand and hurried out to greet them.
"Xiaoxi, you're really back!" Qin Xiaolin's voice was filled with disbelief, but even more so with undisguised joy.
He took a few steps forward and carefully examined Li Xi, as if to confirm that this was not a dream.
Li Xi: "Yes, I'm back. I'm sorry to have worried Brother Qin."
The two walked into the study side by side. Qin Xiaolin immediately instructed the servants to prepare tea and snacks, while he pulled Li Xi to sit down by the window.
"Was the journey smooth? Did you encounter any trouble?"
As he spoke, he couldn't help but reach out his right hand and gently grasp Li Xi's hand, his eyes filled with deep worry and unease.
Li Xi was startled when Qin Xiaolin suddenly grabbed her hand, and instinctively tried to break free.
However, in that instant, a thought flashed through her mind like lightning—given the current situation, this identity could still be used in many ways in the future.
So, she suppressed her discomfort and didn't forcefully shake off Qin Xiaolin's hand. She just smiled faintly and said, "Thank you for your concern, Brother Qin. The journey was relatively smooth, and I didn't encounter too many troublesome things."
"That's good." Seeing the person in front of him, he felt at ease.
Just then, a soft footstep sound came from outside the door, and then the door was gently pushed open, and a figure quickly walked in.
"Xiao Lin, I heard that General Li has arrived." The person who came was his mother. She looked anxious, and there were a few beads of sweat on her forehead.
However, when her gaze fell on the two people holding hands tightly inside the room, the expression on her face instantly froze, her mouth slightly open, as if she had seen something extremely shocking.
"You...you two?" Her eyes widened as she stared at the two of them in disbelief, her voice trembling with shock.
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