The Eternal Way-Chapter 111: Bitter Struggle

With this thought, Li Qi suddenly stood up: "Bunny! I have an idea!"

Li Qi was so excited that he called her by the nickname he usually only used in his mind. He normally referred to her formally as "Miss Shen."

However, Shen Shuibei didn't care about what he called her at this moment. Upon hearing that there was a solution, she immediately asked, "What's the plan!?"

"We still need you as a sacrifice, but it won't be fatal," Li Qi stood up and took out his long sword to start digging into the rocks while explaining. "I'll set up an altar here to summon the Mountain Deity of White Snake Mountain, using Miss Shen as the offering. We'll create a commotion to alert Wu Deity Mountain."

"With Wu Deity Mountain's capabilities and Luo Fu Niangniang's importance, they will surely act instantly upon detection. Miss Shen, do you think Wu Deity Mountain has the ability to traverse tens of thousands of li (kilometers) in an instant?" Li Qi asked.

Shen Shuibei replied with excitement, "It might take some time for them to physically arrive, but acting remotely should reach us instantly! Li Qi, you're indeed smarter than me. Let me help too. What do we need for the altar?"

"Sacrificing to a mountain deity requires pure mountain spring water and a suitable offering. You, being a pure white rabbit, fit into this category! But, we may need a part of your flesh," Li Qi explained while digging.

"It's fine; losing a bit of flesh can be regrown over a few centuries. My Rank remains intact, and the Mountain Deity of White Snake Mountain shouldn't require much more than that," Shen Shuibei said, twisting her thumb off without making a sound or bleeding.

Li Qi felt an indescribable sensation. Her body seemed to lose its ethereal quality, becoming ordinary. He watched as various 'Qi' that had been previously warded off started flooding into her body, making her susceptible to heat, cold, and toxins.

"Your Immaculate Body?" Li Qi frowned.

"Losing physical integrity naturally breaks it. It's not a big deal; I can rebuild it later. The thumb is probably the most suitable choice," Shen Shuibei showed no concern for the loss of her cultivation.

An achievement that took over a thousand years to attain was now simply discarded. Indeed, for Luo Fu Niangniang, she was willing to sacrifice herself on the altar and even give up her cultivation. Breaking her Immaculate Body now was just another step.

"The thumb represents earth, which corresponds to the Kun trigram, symbolizing motherhood and aligns perfectly with the earth for the mountain deity. We also need pure mountain spring water. I'll fetch it right away, Old Horse! Come with me!" Shen Shuibei displayed incredible efficiency, pulling Old Horse along to gather the other necessary items for the ritual.

Li Qi looked at the thumb Shen Shuibei had pulled off herself, feeling a mix of emotions, mostly anger. He shook his head, "Not the time to dwell on these things. Get to work!" He slapped himself and continued digging.

As the saying goes, "Earth values yang, sacrifices must be made in circular mounds within low-lying areas." Meaning, the earth favors yang energy, and sacrifices must be made on round hills in low-lying areas.

Li Qi dug through the stones, found the appropriate location, and began setting up the site. Time was tight, leaving no room for anger. They had barely half a day left and needed to hurry.

---

Not far away, Yangning was struggling to hold on. Three hours had passed, and they were nearing the half-day mark.

Through the female apparition, one could see a woman with golden-red eyes inside the Precious Canopy. She had waist-length radiant hair, seemingly glowing with dark red light, golden-red eyes, fair skin, and a commanding presence with a fiery aura. She was taller than Shen Shuibei and had a more voluptuous figure.

She was Solar Essence Jinwu, a manifestation of the sun and moon essence surrounding Luo Fu Niangniang.

"What is Shen Shuibei doing! Didn't she say she had a plan? Why isn't she here yet!" Yangning shouted angrily, biting her index finger to let a drop of blood flow into the apparition.

Her mana had long been depleted, and she was now relying on burning her blood and Spiritual Essence to sustain herself. Like Shen Shuibei, her injuries were severe, though she did not need to dissipate her powers.

Yangning's self-inflicted damage was no less than Shen Shuibei's. Everything was for... Luo Fu Niangniang.

She glanced sideways at a nearby alchemical cauldron. A second-rank magic treasure, the Sun-Moon True Lead Cauldron.

The phrase "hand capturing the crow and hare" refers to extracting true lead and mixing it with true mercury, symbolizing longevity elixirs poured into jade cauldrons. The solar and lunar essences were refined from this cauldron, making Luo Fu Niangniang their metaphorical mother.

Luo Fu Niangniang's remaining true spirit resided within, protected from external interference.

No matter what happened, Luo Fu Niangniang was always the most important.

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She hoped the clumsy Shen Shuibei could truly come up with a solution!

Yangning gritted her teeth and faced the two demon kings again.

"How much longer can you hold on!" Bear Slaughter King manipulated military qi, using his subordinate demons as conduits to fiercely assault the Precious Canopy.

"You'd better reveal Luo Fu Niangniang's whereabouts sooner rather than suffer my cursed insects devouring your soul!" Curse Demon King threatened again, purple curse poison spreading onto the Precious Canopy.

The murals on the canopy depicted vivid spiritual beasts and immortals fleeing further inside in panic, pushing each other to avoid contamination by the curse poison.

Seeing this, Yangning cast another spell, holding a talisman and chanting, "Ruo Fu pacified, universally proclaimed to myriad spirits, left society right grain, no false alarm. Return to the righteous path, inside and outside purified, each secure in position, guarding the residence. By Yangning's decree, no mistakes shall be made!"

She issued her own decree, causing countless murals to surge forth, each employing their methods to resist the curse poison. Initially, it seemed they pushed back the invasion, but some murals emitted cries of agony, tainted by the curse poison. Though temporarily resisting erosion, they were consuming the core essence of the Precious Canopy. This sixth-rank magic treasure would likely degrade in rank.

Meanwhile, the two demon kings exchanged glances and nodded.

Their opponent was at the end of her rope, beginning to consume the essence of the magic treasure to resist.

There was no need to fight desperately anymore; they could wear her down slowly. Once she was exhausted, they could find what they wanted without haste.

The two demon kings made their decision.

They had several hours, ample time. Rushing would risk the opponent using desperate measures, given her former fifth-rank status. Even severely injured, with less than one percent of her original strength, caution was necessary.

Just then, a divine light suddenly surged from a nearby canyon, catching everyone's attention.