Chapter 11: Li Mingzhu's Visit, Breaking the Fish Formation and Slaying the Yaksha
The young girl truly seemed to be oblivious to the ways of the world. Although little Zhu Xiong was quite infuriated, he couldn't bring himself to speak harshly to her.
Li Mingzhu, standing off to the side, didn't pay them much attention. However, he let down much of his guard toward the girl in his heart. She really did seem like a female thief… and a dumb one at that.
If she weren't a dumb thief, why would she agree to split all the treasures in the room?
Li Mingzhu urged little Zhu Xiong to gather treasures, while he casually collected some less valuable items and struck up a conversation with the girl.
"Did you find anything good in the treasury?" Li Mingzhu asked casually, unsure of what to say and randomly picking a topic.
"What do you want?"
The girl looked at Li Mingzhu with a face full of suspicion. Though her mind was simple, it didn't mean she was truly foolish.
"That was careless of me. Rest assured, I'm not planning to rob you. I'm just asking out of curiosity. Besides, even if I wanted to rob you, I couldn't do a thing to you." Li Mingzhu slapped his forehead and said with a laugh.
"Well, that's true. I suppose I'll tell you then." The girl tilted her head proudly, seeming very pleased with the last part of Li Mingzhu's response.
"To be honest, this Xuanlong Palace treasury doesn't actually have many good things. The most valuable treasures were taken by me long ago."
The girl giggled proudly again, as if saying, "Aren't I clever?"
She then produced several Spiritual Treasures out of nowhere. Among them was the dagger that had blocked Li Mingzhu's Qiankun Ring earlier.
"The Dragon Dagger, Nine Dragon Jade, and Red Dragon Pearl—three lower-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, all prized possessions of the Third Prince."
The girl explained the uses of the three Spiritual Treasures: one for attack, one for defense, and one domain-type treasure—quite impressive items.
Seeing the three gleaming Innate Spiritual Treasures, Li Mingzhu, though long immune to the wealth of the Dragon Clan, couldn't help but sigh in awe.
The two chatted casually, neither revealing too much. In fact, Li Mingzhu didn't even know the girl's name.
Time always slipped by unnoticed. By the time little Zhu Xiong returned, having finished collecting treasures, Li Mingzhu had already scoured the common collection in the treasury clean.
Initially, Li Mingzhu thought that with the girl having looted the place first, little Zhu Xiong would struggle to find anything worthwhile. But the final outcome surprised him.
Two Innate Spiritual Treasures and three Acquired Spiritual Treasures—when little Zhu Xiong reported this to Li Mingzhu, he couldn't help but beam with joy.
Even though they were only lower-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures and didn't appear particularly powerful, they were still Innate Spiritual Treasures!
Putting away the Qiankun Ring, Li Mingzhu didn't rush to examine the treasures. Instead, he walked to the center of the treasury, where a large stone pillar stood, and pulled out a gigantic brush he'd looted from the treasury. With bold strokes, he began to write.
"Li Mingzhu was here!"
In no time, the enormous calligraphy was completed. Originally, Li Mingzhu had even thought of imitating that monkey by peeing on it, but ultimately, he refrained due to the girl's presence, finding his skin not thick enough for such antics.
With the treasury cleaned out, Li Mingzhu had no reason to linger in Xuanlong Palace. After bidding farewell to the girl, he transformed back into the Yaksha Li Liang and swaggered out of the palace.
After Li Mingzhu left, the girl stood there, lost in thought, seemingly pondering something.
"So your name is Li Mingzhu!"
The girl suddenly flashed a gentle smile, her face radiant like a blossoming peach, as if the entire world became brighter because of her presence.
Li Mingzhu was already far away and naturally couldn't see this. Otherwise, he might have been captivated by her charm in that fleeting moment.
However, there was one issue that Li Mingzhu inevitably had to face: the sea area within a thousand miles was under heavy blockade by Ao Bing. Unless he continued hiding and didn't come out, he would have to confront Ao Bing's army directly sooner or later.
Would Li Mingzhu hide?
Of course not. Not only was it against his character, but he couldn't delay too long due to Shi Ji's instructions.
Plowing through with unstoppable momentum, the troops under Xuanlong Palace couldn't withstand even a single clash with Li Mingzhu. Eventually, he arrived at a strait known as One Line Sky—the only route to Golden Turtle Island.
This strait was also where Ao Bing had placed the final line of defenses toward Golden Turtle Island. Coincidentally, the one guarding this strait was none other than Li Liang.
As the saying goes, enemies are bound to cross paths. However, Li Mingzhu didn't really care. Regardless of who guarded the strait, the result would be the same.
In Li Mingzhu's eyes, Li Liang was already as good as dead.
What surprised Li Mingzhu most was that, given the circumstances, Ao Bing should have known by now that the treasury had been looted. Yet, there hadn't been any news about it.
No storm of fury, no unruly escalation. While the pursuit remained relentless, it lacked the kind of reaction one would expect from someone on the verge of breakdown after a violent raid.
Guiding the Spirit Boat, Li Mingzhu barreled into the One Line Sky Strait without a care, brazenly ignoring any potential ambushes.
His arrogance was overwhelming!
With only a thousand Swordfish Soldiers and Li Liang, to be honest, Li Mingzhu really didn't consider them a threat. With his True Immortal Daoist cultivation, fully activating the Qiankun Ring and Red Ribbon under the restrictive Heaven and Earth Rules, he might even stand a chance against a Daluo Golden Immortal in combat.
This restriction, favoring the weak, was certainly advantageous for Li Mingzhu. Despite being merely a True Immortal, he could still roam the Primordial Land with impunity.
As Li Mingzhu guided the Spirit Boat forward, Li Liang noticed him and reacted swiftly, quickly mustering his forces.
To say the least, Li Liang felt extremely uneasy. Only half a day earlier, Li Mingzhu had stormed through with overwhelming force, and he had witnessed it all.
But what choice did he have?
Could he just not put up a fight?
Li Liang braced himself and stood ready, while Li Mingzhu remained calm, composed, and indifferent.
The difference in demeanor was evident at a glance. Without even striking a blow, the Yaksha Li Liang had already lost in terms of aura.
"Boy, this general advises you to surrender at once. You might still have a slim chance to live. Otherwise, when the Crown Prince arrives, you'll be beyond salvation," Li Liang shouted at the rapidly advancing Spirit Boat. At the same time, the thousand Swordfish Soldiers formed up to block his way.
"You think these weaklings can stop me?"
Li Mingzhu pulled out the Red Ribbon and casually waved it. The three-foot ribbon caught the wind and expanded to a length of ten thousand feet, enveloping the thousand Swordfish Soldiers.
While the Qiankun Ring was fearsome in its attack, the Red Ribbon was a higher-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, boasting superior quality. It could defend, entangle, and even shred its opponents, with endless versatility. Aside from its girlish appearance, even Li Mingzhu couldn't find much fault with it.
The Red Ribbon wrapped around the Swordfish Soldiers like a Cannibal Flower closing in on its prey. In just moments, the thousand soldiers were completely annihilated.
Not a single one survived. What had once been the mighty Yaksha Li Liang's force was now reduced to just him, standing alone.
"Well, it's just you now. Any last words?"
Li Mingzhu looked at Li Liang coldly, his face expressionless, as if staring at a dead man.
"If it's a fight you want, then let's fight! Do you think I, Li Liang, fear you?"
Li Liang scoffed, gripping a spear forged from millennia-old frosted ice. In the blink of an eye, he lunged at Li Mingzhu, thrusting his weapon fiercely.
"Then let's end this. I'll send you on your way!"
Li Mingzhu's Qiankun Ring instantly expanded from his wrist, blocking the spear and sending a counterforce that flung Li Liang back a hundred feet.
The difference in Daoist cultivation and Spiritual Treasure was simply too vast.
Although Li Mingzhu was still inexperienced in advanced Daoist Skills and had only recently ascended to True Immortal, the disparity remained insurmountable.
The Qiankun Ring left his hand, transforming into countless duplicates that struck from all directions, bombarding Li Liang.
It must be said, Li Liang was truly skilled, managing to block every attack. Sadly, the might of the Qiankun Ring was beyond his capability to resist.
Though he deflected each strike, the immense counterforce from the Spiritual Treasure left him with grievous internal injuries. By the time Li Mingzhu retrieved the Qiankun Ring, Li Liang was bleeding profusely from his orifices, barely clinging to life.
The significance of Spiritual Treasures was evident—without the Qiankun Ring and Red Ribbon, Li Mingzhu might have struggled to contend with Li Liang in close combat.
Similarly, during the Divine Enthronement War, many individuals of great skill fell to powerful Spiritual Treasures.
Li Mingzhu didn't want to drag things out. With one final strike of the Qiankun Ring, Li Liang fell lifeless to the ground.