Celestial Taoist

Chapter 19 Lord of the River

In the world of Celestial Punishment, within a luxurious floating courtyard.

As soon as Han Li's figure appeared in the hall, she clenched her fists tightly, her aura surging violently. Her once beautiful face twisted into a ferocious expression, her eyes filled with boundless rage and resentment, a stark contrast to the panic she had shown when fleeing the altar.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!" she screamed, her voice shrill and piercing. She raised her hand and swept the jade bottle on the table beside her to the ground with a loud "bang." The jade bottle shattered, spilling the spiritual liquid inside onto the floor, where it emitted a faint white mist. The jade bottle was made of thousand-year-old warm jade, something that ordinary talented people would covet but could not obtain. Yet now she had casually smashed it without the slightest pity.

Her rage was uncontrollable. With a swift movement, chilling black flames flickered at her fingertips as she swung them fiercely at the ornaments in the hall. A bronze lamp carved with spirit patterns was cleaved in two, its oil spilling onto the luxurious brocade carpet and igniting a faint flame; priceless glass ornaments were shattered by her spiritual power, fragments scattering everywhere; even the ancient book hanging on the wall, recording the secret techniques of mages, was torn down and ripped to shreds.

"How could this be?! How could a Taoist's spiritual root be a godhood?!" Han Li kicked over the carved chair in front of her. The chair crashed against a pillar with a dull thud, cracks spreading outwards. "I was stupid enough to directly contact a godhood with my soul! Ah! Ah! Ah!"

Her chest heaved violently, and the milky white light around her grew even stronger.

Han Li gasped for breath, her gaze dark and fixed on the void, as if she could see Li Mofan on the altar through space. Her fair fingertips clenched so tightly they turned red, her nails digging deep into her palms, drawing fine beads of blood: "No, if that brat cultivates a divine kingdom, I, as a primitive believer, will surely suffer!"

Just then, a feeling of comfort came from the depths of her soul, growing stronger with each passing moment. It felt like a pet being petted by its owner or an infant returning to its mother's embrace.

This made her face turn even paler, and she trembled all over.

In the Xuanhuang 1152 world, on the altar, Li Mofan discovered that although there was nothing inside the phantom, the more his consciousness sank into the phantom, the more omnipotent energy overflowed. He had now concentrated all his consciousness into the phantom, and the outflow of omnipotent energy had reached an unprecedented level, with streams of energy as thick as buckets gushing out.

Three hours later, the outflow of omnipotent energy gradually decreased. "What a wonderful Dao technique!" Li Mofan exclaimed. Even if this Dao technique could only be absorbed once, it was still a top-grade Dao technique.

Because the omnipotent energy in his body has almost condensed into liquid. If it were all refined into spiritual energy, it would be enough to form the spiritual power needed to establish the Dao foundation.

An ordinary Taoist priest would need about six months to accumulate enough spiritual energy to reach 1000. In addition, with the mandatory tasks of dealing with the Heavenly Punishment World and accumulating resources to replenish his spiritual root, this time could be delayed to 2 to 10 years.

If Li Mofan could refine all of this omnipotent energy, it would be equivalent to saving him half a year of arduous cultivation. With this in mind, he didn't care about the location and sat down to begin refining.

Refining it into spiritual energy was much easier than incorporating it into the physical body; it only took half an hour to refine it all in.

Rating: 2

Talent: Taoist

Spirituality: Max level

Identity: New Recruit (Heavenly Path Legion)

Qi and blood: 124

Spiritual power: 1320

Attack: 76

Defense: 85

Agility: 71

Taoist Arts: 1

He ignored the newly arrived servants who had been waiting for a while under the altar, and instead opened the panel. The spiritual energy was much greater than he had expected. However, he was also a little hungry, so he went with the servants to fill his stomach before forming his Dao foundation in a fully-fledged state.

The attendants below the altar had already stood upright with their heads bowed. They were all dressed in short black tunics, with leather belts around their waists and their hair tied up. Seeing that Li Mofan had finally moved, they quickly stepped forward. The head attendant bowed with his hands clasped, his tone respectful but not servile: "My lord, our sovereign has been waiting in the hall for a long time. Please follow us."

Li Mofan nodded slightly, suppressing the surge of spiritual energy within him. After all, being too flamboyant in an unfamiliar world might not be a good thing. He followed the attendant, slowly descending the stone steps of the altar, flanked by sparse, ancient pines. Along the way, he could see soldiers in military uniforms patrolling, bronze swords at their waists, their armor also made of bronze. Passing through a courtyard, he came upon a magnificent palace. The halls were constructed of wood, with roofs covered in blue tiles, and bronze bells hanging from the eaves, jingling crisply in the wind. Two guards holding long halberds stood on either side of the palace gate, their sharp eyes warily scrutinizing Li Mofan.

A servant led Li Mofan into the hall, which was lavishly furnished. The floor was paved with smooth wooden planks, and animal hides and bronze swords hung on the walls. On a high platform directly in front sat a man dressed in a black brocade robe. The man was about forty years old, with a resolute face and a touch of majesty in his eyes. He had a short beard, a jade sword at his waist, and an aura of calm kingship surrounding him—he was the one who had issued this mission, Lord Chen of Jianhe.

Several officials in court robes stood respectfully on both sides of the hall. A servant led Li Mofan into the hall, then bowed and stepped aside, whispering, "Your Majesty, the lord from the Upper Realm has arrived."

Chen Hou slowly raised his eyes, his gaze falling on Li Mofan. There was no arrogance in his eyes, but rather a hint of humility and courtesy. He raised his hand to indicate, "Your Excellency from the Upper Realm has come from afar. You must be tired from your journey. Please have a seat." As soon as he finished speaking, a servant brought over a wooden table and cushions and placed them on one side of the hall.

Li Mofan sat down as instructed, his gaze sweeping over the table without revealing his expression. He saw the servants methodically bringing in various dishes. Soon, the wooden table was filled with utensils.

The bronze cauldron contained a warm, fragrant meat soup, while the earthenware bowl held golden millet, along with neatly sliced ​​raw meat, pickled fruits and vegetables, and a pot of clear wine.

Seeing that Li Mofan's gaze was fixed on the food, Chen Hou smiled slightly and said in a gentle tone, "My lord has come from afar and must be quite hungry. Although my territory is not as prosperous as the upper realm, we still have some simple food. My lord need not be so reserved and may enjoy it." After saying that, he raised his hand first, picked up his wooden chopsticks, and gestured for Li Mofan to eat. The officials on both sides of the hall also picked up their chopsticks, but still maintained their respect and dared not make the slightest noise.

Li Mofan didn't stand on ceremony. His hunger was growing stronger, so he picked up his chopsticks and started eating large chunks of food.

During this time, Marquis Chen did not inquire about his origins or mention the mission. He only occasionally chatted about trivial matters concerning the territory, speaking in a humble tone, without any airs of a feudal lord.

While eating, Li Mofan secretly observed the expressions of Marquis Chen and the officials. He noticed that although they seemed calm, their gazes would occasionally and subtly fall on him, carrying a hint of expectation.