Chapter 111: Resolving the Karma of Yan Li
Yao Sisi plans to spend fifty years honing her cultivation, and divide those fifty years into five periods of seclusion.
Before she went into seclusion, she accepted a batch of sect missions, and then received many private jade slips from people who wanted to help her refine magical artifacts, most of which were her natal magic treasures.
Many of these are growth-oriented magic weapons desired by outstanding Golden Core stage disciples within the sect. A natal magic weapon needs to be forged according to the master's wishes and personal talent, and each one is different. The more outstanding a person is, the more they care about the characteristics of their natal magic weapon.
Few people at the Golden Core stage can contact her; most are Nascent Soul or Deity Transformation elders who contact her on behalf of their disciples or nephews.
She selected a batch of more difficult or interesting magical artifacts to accept. Counting them up, she had 13 natal magical artifacts and some magical artifacts for tribulation. She accepted quite a few of these, which allowed her to gain a batch of materials and also train herself.
Like alchemy, if there are any leftover materials, they basically belong to the weapon refiner.
Yao Sisi was in seclusion in her cave refining magical artifacts. The artifacts that could withstand the lightning tribulation were easy to deal with, but the main issue was the growth potential of her natal magical artifacts, which required the user to participate in a small part of the refining process.
It took her more than a year to complete all the tasks she was assigned.
After completing all the weapon-refining tasks, Yao Sisi did not continue her seclusion. She slowly flew to a stream in the back mountain, flicked her finger to activate the array, and soon the array was opened as if by a transparent water film. A green vine flew out from inside, its leaves covered with water droplets, and slid down to the ground as it trembled.
A cool touch clung to Yao Sisi's waist. She didn't resist, and soon the force pulled her slightly, drawing her into the formation.
Inside the formation was a strange man dressed in a green robe with uneven hem, exposing his calves. He sat cross-legged on a stone platform beside the mountain stream, with green patterns on his neck that flickered in and out.
He slightly opened his eyes. The plants and trees, which were spirits, possessed a natural indifference that did not belong to humans, but after seeing her, all of that vanished, replaced by a strange ambiguity, even a touch of bewitching charm. He said with a hint of resentment, "Why did you take so long to arrive?"
The vines around Yao Sisi's waist remained attached, even rubbing against her affectionately, which left her feeling somewhat helpless.
She came into this world and developed a strange, ambiguous relationship with this man. She touched her nose, unable to do anything too cold; that would seem too scummy.
He always felt a little guilty when facing Yan Li, and then he indulged her.
Sure enough, the old saying is true: it is hardest to repay the kindness of a beautiful woman. When she left that deadly mine, she was not entirely innocent and did not take advantage of him at all. Whatever she took, she would eventually have to pay back.
Yan Li felt extremely pleased to see her good-natured demeanor. He only dared to act this way in private. Si Si was concerned about her image, and that jealous husband, while seemingly gentle and careless, was actually quite ruthless and would not be polite to him. He even worried that Si Si might be secretly eliminated once she ascended to immortality.
Only when the two of them are present can I feel indulged.
He was so addicted to this feeling, even though he was the one who was with her first, and he had already conceived the seed.
He reached out and flipped his hand, revealing a gray seed with strange patterns on it between the two of them.
Yao Sisi was stunned. She sensed the power of her own essence and blood. Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt like she was being forced to accept a title.
Holding the seed, Yan Li innocently revealed, "We plant spirits don't actually care that much about seeds. This one was very weak at the time and should have been abandoned, but I don't know why I had a selfish thought and kept it."
Yao Sisi didn't speak. She quickly searched her mind for the meaning behind those words.
It doesn't seem very complicated, otherwise they wouldn't have said they didn't care about the seeds, right?
Yan Li hadn't spoken to anyone for a long time. Fortunately, plant-type demon cultivators, even if they had achieved a certain level of cultivation, didn't like to talk much and could endure loneliness. However, this depended on who they were talking to. If they took someone to heart, they were quite prone to playing with fire and getting burned, as plants were most afraid of fire.
He held the seed out to her. "You humans seem to really like your offspring. Do you like it?"
Yao Sisi paused. It seemed inappropriate to remain silent now, but she was truly unprepared for something like a cub. Could she claim to be wholeheartedly devoted to the Dao?
"It's alright, I don't dislike it."
Yan Li had lived underground in the mine for a long time and had almost no experience interacting with people during his childhood. This continued into adulthood, as if it had become a habit. He didn't know that not disliking someone actually meant not liking them much.
He was somewhat pleased, a spark of light dancing deep within his eyes: "Then I'll give it to you. My path to ascension is long and uncertain, and I can't accompany you to the Upper Realm. This is it!"
Yao Sisi paused slightly, unable to refuse. She was the type who responded better to gentle persuasion than force, especially since this person was somewhat special to her.
She took the seed and felt the surging vitality within it, realizing that Yan Li must have put a lot of effort into it.
"Thank you, I will keep it safe."
Yan Li nodded. Although he hadn't developed any sharpness from being in a crowd, he wasn't stupid either. He knew that the other party wouldn't come unless there was a reason: "It's rare that you came to see me first after you came out of seclusion. Is there something you need?"
Yao Sisi: "Well, regarding your Nascent Soul tribulation, your physique is special, so I plan to design a lightning-avoiding artifact for you. However, the tribulation is also a test of yourself, and it will have an effect on you. You must conquer it from the bottom of your heart."
Yan Li shook her head: "It's too difficult. Just thinking about it makes my soul ache."
Yao Sisi gently stroked the restless vines on his body, telling him not to worry: "At first, I thought I would create an illusion during the tribulation to make you less afraid, but that's only a temporary solution."
It is difficult to become an immortal without undergoing the tempering of lightning tribulation. Moreover, no matter how great the tribulation of transformation into a deity is, can it be greater than the tribulation of ascension?
If one cannot withstand the tribulation of the Nascent Soul stage, then the tribulation of ascension is out of the question. The only thing worth praising is that cultivators of plant and tree types have long lifespans, far exceeding those of humans. Once Yan Li survives the tribulation of the Nascent Soul stage, his lifespan will be over 100,000 years.
It wouldn't be bad to remain a phoenix leader in the mortal realm instead of ascending to immortality.
But she was determined to help him overcome the tribulation of becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator before he ascended to immortality.
"Come into my cave, and I will tailor-make a weapon for you."
Yan Li had no intention of undergoing tribulation; his ambition had largely vanished after entering the sect: "So urgent... I wanted to catch up with you."
Yao Sisi paused. It would be fine if it were someone else, but reminiscing with him would inevitably bring up past events, and she was worried that things would get out of control. So she quickly said, "Let's go back to my cave and refine the magic weapon first. We can reminisce on the way."
Anyway, it's only a few steps, and we can't say much.
No sooner had she said that than the vines on her waist rubbed against her slightly, affectionately wanting her to touch them, and even tried to slip into her palm.
Aside from the vines used for attack, some of the vines released by Yan Li were his essence. Naturally, the ones he gave to Yao Sisi to play with were not the kind of branches that would fall off at will, but his essence, the kind that would severely damage his vital energy if it were to be damaged.
But every time he was intimate with Yao Sisi, his soul would tremble with happiness, and it was precisely because of this that his jealous husband always broke his branches.
Thinking about this, Yan Li felt that he was terribly wicked, bullying a demon.
Yao Sisi coaxed the person into the cave with a lot of persuasion. She had also prepared almost all the materials for refining the weapon. There were hundreds of materials related to lightning protection, some of which she had collected herself, and some of which she had saved up by helping others refine weapons.
At this point, it must be said that there is one cultivation art that is truly profitable and resource-generating. Some of the materials used in this art cannot be bought even with money; they can only be obtained through barter.
However, because she was a top-notch weapon refiner, cultivators who wanted to undergo tribulation had no choice but to give her their materials. Not only did the refiner not withhold any, but the cultivators were also worried that there wouldn't be enough materials.
This saved her a lot of time collecting.
Yan Li looked at the materials filling the room and a huge refining furnace, but she wasn't very happy. Her vines once again became restless and wrapped around Yao Sisi's ankles, rubbing against her and acting coquettishly, "The journey was so short, I didn't even get to talk to you properly. Why don't we stop refining for now? There's no rush."
Of course, Yao Sisi had to refuse him firmly and righteously. Otherwise, she was so easy to talk to, and if he got her into a trap, who knows what she might do. She didn't want to test her self-control in a situation where a man and a woman were alone together. Besides, with her high level of cultivation, she might end up hurting someone.
She said with a righteous expression, "I don't have much time left in this world, so I can't waste a single day."
Yan Li was afraid of making her angry, so he could only keep quiet, but in his heart he secretly retorted that the time they spent together could not be considered a waste.
After saying that, Yao Sisi coaxed her, using a combination of carrot and stick, "Besides, so many people beg me to forge weapons but I won't do it. I'll forge weapons for you for free, without even having to provide materials. I'm being so good to you, aren't you satisfied?"
Yan Li: "I have no complaints. I know Sisi is the best."
Then he looked around and said, "Hey, Sisi, where's the purple lotus I gave you before?"
Yao Sisi: "..."
The Purple Feather Lotus can nourish one's spiritual consciousness and is a rare natural treasure. Moreover, it is not afraid of fire. When she keeps it in the weapon-refining room, she can consume less spiritual consciousness when refining weapons, and her body and mind will be in good condition.
This is because Qi Mu went mad a while ago, her mind went awry, and she seemed to be possessed by a demon. She accidentally swallowed that flower, but she dared not say that. Instead, she said, "I swallowed it. My mind was injured before. I must say, it smells quite good."
Yan Li was unaware of the trickery involved, but seeing that she enjoyed the food, he was actually happy: "Then I'll find you another one later. By the way, is your consciousness fully restored?"
Yao Sisi nodded: "I can't give you a weapon even if it's not good. Here, cut a small piece of your essence for me."
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw the vines on her ankles unfurl and extend towards her, like the hands of a beautiful woman slowly offering herself.
Yan Li: "Come on, I don't know how much I need. Anyway, you're the one who cut me, so you won't try to hide anything from me like others do, treating me like a refining material."
Yao Sisi reached out and grasped a section of his vine. This was his source of power, and it would hurt if he got hurt. She imitated the scenes of doctors comforting children in her previous life, talking to him while cutting off a section without hesitation.
She heard a hiss of pain. Although the method of diverting attention was almost useless for cultivators like them, Yao Sisi still did it, as if it were a form of psychological comfort.
When the primordial vine is cut, it will bleed like blood. Yao Sisi had prepared something in advance. This was a little gadget she made while refining weapons. It looked like a pacifier. She simply put it over the vine, and the vine was healed in no time.
Yan Li put the little thing away. A few drops of her primordial essence blood were still inside the nipple. It was truly remarkable that this thing could stop his primordial wound so quickly.
He is not an ordinary demon cultivator; he belongs to a category of demon cultivators called plant cultivators. When he is injured, he is not healed by medicinal powder, and the types of pills he can consume are much fewer.
This thing was a great help to him. "Was it made especially for me?"
Yao Sisi nodded, took his vines and put them in the cold jade box for safekeeping, as she would need to add them when refining the weapon later.
"Taking your essence is not my wish, but if the magic weapon that wards off lightning can be incorporated into your essence, it will be even more easy to use. I designed this magic weapon according to the ascension lightning tribulation. Although it is only a prototype, it will not be damaged after you undergo the Nascent Soul lightning tribulation. At that time, I will add some materials to refine it for you. You can keep it by your side and nurture it for tens of thousands of years. Even if you undergo the ascension lightning tribulation in the future, you will not have to worry about your soul being scattered."
Yan Li was slightly startled: "Designed according to the ascension tribulation? Then the materials must be extremely valuable, perhaps even more expensive than myself."
Yao Sisi: "Inanimate objects are never as valuable as living ones."
For once, Yan Li was clever. His vines reached out and said, "Sisi thinks I'm expensive, and she likes me."
Yao Sisi: "..."
No wonder plants love to be in springtime; it's probably because when spring arrives, all things revive, and plants are the first to be affected.
Yao Sisi: "I hope that one day when I go to the Upper Realm, I can still have some hope for you all, so that I won't be too lonely, and so that when I talk about the past, there will be no one to say a word to me."
Yan Li: "Then my new goal is to ascend to immortality. I can't bear to see Sisi alone."
Yao Sisi nodded, but she didn't take it to heart. At Yan Li's speed, she might have already ascended to the Upper Realm by the time he ascended.
She encouraged them, "That's great! Let's refine some magical artifacts. You should join in too."
She tricked people into helping her with the work so they wouldn't bother her when they had free time.
A few days later, she refined the prototype of the magic weapon. The prototype looked like an umbrella made of several flower petals, with the handle made of beads. The beads were empty inside and used to store lightning balls. The umbrella body was tempered while being refined.
When she undergoes her ascension tribulation, she can still command the few thunderclouds in front of her, making no waste.
"Finally, one thing on my mind has been put to rest."
She removed the formation that had been used for her closed-door cultivation of magical artifacts. Before the two of them could even leave the cave with their treasures, several communication talismans flew in from outside. These were all sent by her when she had just emerged from seclusion, but she had gone into seclusion again not long after, which was why they were stopped outside.
Having probably learned his lesson the hard way, this time when he emerged from seclusion, there were people waiting for him outside his cave...
Yao Sisi thought to herself: I really can't stand being in this mortal realm for even a day.
She should ascend to heaven as soon as possible!
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