"Besides, I could see that due to the natural constraints of the materials, the furnace they used can only hold a limited variety of strange beasts. If we were to use our Medicine King Cauldron instead, we might be able to multiply the number of strange beasts smelted at once several times over."
"When that time comes, there is no telling what kind of monster we might produce."
"I am afraid that even if Yushan and I were to join forces, we might not necessarily be able to suppress it."
Liu San shook his head slightly. "It is like a poisoned chalice—highly practical, but bound by far too many restrictions."
"If only we possessed a means to control Dao Integration combat strength," Liu San suddenly sighed.
Xu Bai's eyes narrowed, but his expression remained unchanged. Following Liu San's lead, he replied thoughtfully, "Elder Liu makes a good point. In today's Xuanhuang Realm, there are countless bizarre wonders and all manner of things. Perhaps there truly exists a way to control Dao Integration cultivators."
"I will make inquiries. If it can truly be done, wouldn't our Medicine King Sect be able to steadily produce a Dao Integration combat force at regular intervals?"
Hearing this, Liu San could not help feeling a spark of excitement as well.
"Although the lethal might of these fusion beasts will certainly fall short compared to a new method Dao Integration cultivator, it is still the Dao Integration realm, after all. If there are enough of them, even if the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals targets us, they would surely hesitate, wouldn't they?"
"When that time comes, perhaps our Medicine King Sect will be able to reemerge into the world openly and uprightly?"
Xu Bai agreed, "It is indeed something worth scheming toward."
"By the way, Young Sect Master. Elder Ruan is still slumbering within the Medicine King Cauldron. He has conducted considerable research into the bodies of demonic beasts. Why not awaken him? Perhaps he might find a viable solution," Liu San suggested.
"..."
Memories from Liu Yihang instantly surfaced in Xu Bai's mind.
Ruan Tianxiao, one of the Dao Integration elders of the Medicine King Sect.
Unlike the other elders who used spiritual plants for alchemy, Ruan Tianxiao was accustomed to using the bodily tissues of animals, demonic beasts, and even humans as medicinal ingredients.
Although the effects were indeed extraordinary, the aura of blood and slaughter was far too pungent, and it was quite shocking and appalling to the world.
Therefore, Ruan Tianxiao's "flesh pills" were never accepted by the public.
He was also rather eccentric and reclusive, usually keeping to himself within the Medicine King Sect without any close friends.
After pondering for a long while, Xu Bai frowned and decided, "Elder Ruan has always been at odds with everyone. I fear that upon waking and suddenly learning he has traveled thousands of years into the future, he might not necessarily have any intention of staying in our Medicine King Sect."
Hearing this, Liu San could not deny it either. "That is indeed possible."
"Still, Elder Ruan's flesh pill techniques truly possess unique merits. The Myriad Phenomena fusion beast..."
Xu Bai seemed torn as well. "Let us do this: once we have formally secured the Empire's technology in hand, we will decide based on the specific circumstances."
"If we alone can mass-produce the fusion beasts, there will be no rush to awaken Elder Ruan. If we run into difficulties that cannot be resolved, it will not be too late to wake him then."
Ultimately, Xu Bai spoke thus.
Liu San also nodded in agreement.
The interlude over, Xu Bai still had to return to Tianliang Province, while Liu San needed to head back to Medicine King Valley.
After the two parted ways, Xu Bai watched the direction in which Liu San disappeared, lost in thought.
'Was this a test? Or merely a coincidence?'
'Perhaps what happened earlier made him sense something. After all, he is a Dao Integration cultivator. Even though the alterations brought by the Heavenly Venerable's power in the Truth Enticement Fruit cannot be defied, noticing abnormalities within himself is still entirely possible.'
'To be safe, it is best for my true body to leave the Valley of Longevity first.'
Li Fan had always acted with swift and decisive resolution.
Once this thought crossed his mind, his true body did not hesitate in the slightest. Leaving only a message stating that he had urgent matters requiring him to make a trip outside, he quietly slipped out of Medicine King Valley before Liu San returned.
'It would be best to ask someone from the Five Elders Association as well to confirm the effects of this Truth Enticement Fruit,' Li Fan thought, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes.
Stowing away the Dissociation Disc for the moment, he headed straight for Shuo Feng's residence.
Meanwhile, having returned to Tianliang Province, Xu Bai secretly sought out the Garrison Court cultivator who had previously traded with him—a spy from the Five Elders Association named Liu Wenyu.
"Fellow Daoist Liu, I hear that you have yet to generate your own Heavenly Profound Treasure Mirror?" Xu Bai began by asking.
A trace of gloom flickered across Liu Wenyu's face, yet he did not utter anything out of line.
Instead, he said meaningfully, "Soon. Although many cultivators within the Alliance still have reservations about the existence of the Heavenly Profound Treasure Mirror and are unwilling to generate it..."
"...an official decree has reportedly already been handed down: all members within the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' system must generate the treasure mirror inside their bodies. We cultivators of the Garrison Court must be the first to fully complete it. And that is only the first step."
"I believe it will not be long before the day arrives when every cultivator under heaven carries a treasure mirror."
"Hmph, when that time comes..."
A flash of irrepressible trepidation crossed Liu Wenyu's eyes.
"I, on the other hand, do not think it is all that bad. The object is truly miraculous, and having it around saves a great deal of trouble," Xu Bai smiled faintly, appearing indifferent.
"Hmm? You have already generated it?" Liu Wenyu's expression changed drastically, and he moved to retreat.
Yet Xu Bai seized him in an instant.
Above his head, the Terminal Disc abruptly materialized, casting a faint, eerie white glow that enveloped them both.
"Do not be nervous. A mere Heavenly Profound Treasure Mirror is nothing in the eyes of our Heaven-Overturning Alliance," Xu Bai stated plainly, a look of arrogance on his face.
"What Heaven-Overturning Society? I have no idea what you are talking about!" Liu Wenyu's face turned pale as he shook his head vigorously, wrenching himself free from Xu Bai's grip in an urgent bid to flee.
Yet upon hearing Xu Bai's next words, he halted in his tracks abruptly.
"I have made it this obvious, and you still haven't caught on? For a spy of the Five Elders Association, your instincts are far too dull."
Xu Bai shook his head slightly. "To put it plainly: our Heaven-Overturning Alliance possesses a method to shield against the surveillance of the Heavenly Profound Treasure Mirror."
Calm as the words were, they struck Liu Wenyu's ears like a thunderclap.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" he blurted out on the spot. "Even we are completely helpless—"
Liu Wenyu's words broke off abruptly, his face turning livid. "You tricked me?"
Xu Bai chuckled softly. "If my words were false, then people from the Alliance's Garrison Court should soon be arriving to execute the two of us on the spot."
"Fellow Daoist Liu, you might as well wait patiently. In any case, things have come to this; even if you wished to flee, you wouldn't be able to."
Liu Wenyu's expression shifted repeatedly until he finally halted his steps and slumped down into a seat in the room, beginning his uneasy wait.
Time trickled by slowly, every second dragging like a year.
Yet after more than half a day passed, there was still no movement outside.
Liu Wenyu was suddenly filled with doubt and astonishment. He looked up at the Terminal Disc suspended above them, his eyes gleaming with disbelief.
"This thing... can truly block the perception of the Heavenly Profound Treasure Mirror?" His face was overwhelmed with shock.
"'Overturning Heaven'—could such a name be an empty boast?" Xu Bai said indifferently.
Chapter 756