'Not only is this Xuankui Golden-winged Bat as heavy as a mountain, it is tougher than many spiritual irons and ores...'
Just as this half-finished pill quieted down, the Xiuxuan Dujing Furnace was unwilling to leave it in peace. The runes across its body lit up in unison, casting a gentle black light over the pill.
Under the shine of this black light, the already calmed pellet grew even more docile. Where it had still retained a faint tremor of movement, now it could not stir at all. Those lingering pools of medicinal fluid that had defied smelting were swallowed into the pill one by one and refined.
Li Ximing understood in his heart:
'The Xiuxuan Dujing Furnace must inherently possess corresponding miraculous powers. Unfortunately, I am not its master, merely borrowing it for use. Only when spurred by a stimulus does it reveal a trace of them.'
Li Ximing added another measure of true fire and blasted the iron-like pill for well over a month, finally refining and merging every drop of that glittering golden fluid into it. With this continuous burning, the refinement took around half a year in total.
One had to know that beneath the furnace burned none other than the Violet Palace spiritual fire, Three Hou Shuxuan Fire, and Li Ximing had further infused it with the power of his divine ability, raising the spiritual fire's potency to an even greater height. Even metals and stones in this furnace ought to have melted by now, yet it was barely enough to smelt the medicinal fluid into the core. The staggering expenditure of divine power and magic throughout the process was unmatched by any pill refinement Li Ximing had ever conducted.
Having now nurtured the pill for a quarter-hour, wisps of golden clouds billowed from the mouth of the furnace. In midair, they transformed into specks of tiny golden bats, each thumb-sized. Fluttering and dancing through the air, they sought perches to cling to—some hung upside down from the roof beams, others between pillars, and still others gathered at the mouth of the pill furnace, crowding together to hang from its tiny rim projections.
At his side, Qingyan had long since returned to his original form. His pupils mirrored the dancing golden bats as he spoke:
"The so-called 'Ruiqi' is none other than 'Mianjin'—continuous advancement and accumulating blessings without advancing precipitously into calamity. It loves to cling and hang upside down, gathering beneath positions of power and spiritual treasures... It is an auspicious omen; the pill is complete!"
With a distant, pensive look, he lowered his voice:
"To accomplish feats by relying on fortune is fundamentally the art of clambering and hanging inverted. Though a pill of Ruiqi possesses no spiritual sapience, it is influenced by this nature and loves to attach itself. It should be clinging to the furnace lid rather than emerging from the furnace mouth, seeking to deceive the alchemist so it might endure..."
Li Ximing smiled and nodded, gently letting out a breath. The restorative power of a Violet Palace divine ability was truly formidable; with this single breath, his slightly pale complexion immediately regained its ruddy warmth. Striking the furnace wall with a palm, he caused the lid to open.
Using his divine ability, he seized the circular lid of the Xiuxuan Dujing Furnace. Looking inside, the furnace was pitch-black and utterly empty. Turning the lid over, he indeed found a chubby, round golden bat no larger than a fingernail hanging upside down from it. Its wings were wrapped tightly around itself, curled into a round ball.
The Wangjin Xuanyan Pill!
"What an exceptional auspicious pill!"
Li Ximing murmured in praise. The golden bat opened its eyes—glistening white, round and beady, devoid of pupils, scanning the surroundings.
Fearing any unforeseen mishap, Li Ximing delayed no longer. Retrieving a jade bottle, he collected the Wangjin Xuanyan Pill and stoppered it tightly. Still not entirely at ease, he pinched an incantation gesture and sealed it with a Mingyang spell.
"My thanks for your assistance, Fellow Daoist Qingyan!"
Li Ximing laughed. The demon king before him merely shook his head:
"My part was nothing more than a blessing. It is your alchemy and fire control that are astonishing—the likes of which I have never seen in my life!"
Li Ximing offered a few words of modest demurral. Sweeping his spiritual sense inward, he discovered that within his Juque Court, bright Dongming Flowing Water still circled around the spirit aperture, radiating a brilliant luster.
The Wangjin Xuanyan Pill was exceptionally difficult to refine. Ordinary cultivators would need three to five years of toil, but Li Ximing possessed a true fire and supreme fire-control arts. With the demon king's blessing, the duration had immediately been suppressed to under two years. Furthermore, the Xiuxuan Dujing Furnace's remarkable efficacy exceeded expectations, so what was originally projected to take over a year had finished in under a year.
When Qingyan prepared his blessing, he had seemingly prepared for three to five years; hence, even though the pill was finished, a great deal of Dongming Flowing Water still remained in the Juque Court.
Li Ximing inquired with slight hesitation, and the demon king realized as well, understanding at once:
"So the Dongming Flowing Water was not fully depleted!
"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist... This water has no other adverse effects; dispersing it with your divine ability will clear it all away... However, it is blessed water after all. If you intend to refine more pills in the near future, even if I am not by your side, this water can still offer some effect."
Li Ximing was pleased:
"Truly?! How long can it last?"
Qingyan said solemnly:
"It cannot endure for long. Left undisturbed, it can last for at least two months. But once you refine another pill in your Juque or cast spells from it, it will not last more than a few days. Is your true fire stored within your Juque? To avoid wasting mental effort to restrain it, you ought to relocate it."
"Very well!"
Li Ximing remained delighted. Having Talisman Qi within him, he had no fear of depleting mental energy, and laughed:
"Fellow Daoist possesses wonderful abilities! I have truly broadened my horizons."
Now that this pill had succeeded, Li Ximing immediately tasted the sweetness of success. Since this pill could benefit from Qingxuan's blessing, other pills certainly could as well. If he had to refine any major pills in the future, this demon might prove useful again!
Thus, intending to foster good ties with him, Li Ximing conversed with him and inquired:
"Might I ask where your sect or mountain gate lies, Fellow Daoist? If I encounter any troubles in alchemy down the road, I may have to request your aid once more!"
Qingyan smiled and replied:
"Around the Western Sea, among the foreign nations. Should you visit in person, simply seek out Dashi. But since the distance is so vast, if you send someone to invite me, dispatching them to Fuxun's place to have him pass word will suffice."
"Splendid!"
Li Ximing agreed with full delight. As the two stepped out of the great hall together, they saw auspicious clouds gathered across the sky, connected in golden drifts. Across the mountains, the cold had dissipated and snow melted, with hundreds of flowers blooming in profusion—a vibrant scene bursting with life.
"A major pill indeed brings forth an anomaly!"
Barely had he exited the hall when he saw Master Houfu rushing over from the sky, cupping his hands in congratulation to them both:
"My congratulations to you both!"
Li Ximing had barely replied when the black-robed man arrived hurriedly before them. Before he could speak, a purple light flashed across the void, transforming into a slender-browed woman before them:
"Fellow Daoist Zhaojing!"
"Fellow Daoist Tinglan..."
Li Ximing recognized her at a glance. The purple-robed woman, carrying noticeable urgency, said in a hushed voice:
"Zhugong's condition is worsening... I do not know how much longer she can hold on... I searched all the way here, but seeing that you were refining a crucial pill, I dared not disturb you... I have waited for quite a while. Please, come with me!"
Master Houfu nodded repeatedly. Having long desired to befriend Qingyan, the man seized the opportunity:
"Go ahead, Zhaojing. Leave Fellow Daoist Qingyan to me to host... I was just hoping to have a talk."
Li Ximing's heart skipped a beat. Turning back to look at Qingyan, the demon king exhaled softly and nodded. Li Ximing then took his leave of the two, stepped into the Great Void, and looked to Tinglan beside him:
"How are her injuries?"
Ever since the war between the North and South, Tinglan had worn her favored autumn-yellow robes less and less, switching instead to the violet robes of Ziyan Gate, appearing far more plain. Her brow furrowed tightly now as she spoke:
"Strictly speaking, I should not have troubled you with this. I first sought out Master Shanbai in the north. He has already examined her and given a diagnosis. Over this past half-month, I have come to look for you multiple times, back and forth, and finally caught you...
"Her most grievous wound is to her dharma body. Her injuries had not fully healed to begin with, and then she was besieged by several Lianmin monks. Fortunately, my spiritual treasure provided support at Mount Xiaoshi, which helped somewhat... After Mount Xiaoshi fell, I received a call for help and feigned a southward retreat with her... but in truth, we headed north to reinforce Kuiqi...
"That was where disaster struck... In the chaos of the situation, I was unable to look out for her, and she ran into the northern demonic cultivator Zhukui. That man is vicious and underhanded. Seeing that her dharma body was injured, he still employed sinister methods against her."
Tinglan paused slightly, realizing, and lowered her voice:
"After all, Wenqing was watching over the river..."
Li Ximing frowned. The situation back then had indeed been chaotic; Tinglan and the others' instinctive reaction to retreat to Mount Tangdao was not unreasonable either. His family's heir had achieved his breakthrough without the matter spiraling into disaster, so Li Ximing had always found it awkward to bring it up. As for whether Kan Ziyu was truly present and whether she would have intervened in the end, that was another matter entirely.
In just two steps, they arrived at Shanji Commandery. Passing into the mountain gate, he heard Tinglan continue:
"Her injuries were still manageable when she returned. I gave her pills and told her to recuperate well. But looking at it now, amid the chaos at the time, she must have also been secretly shone upon by Wei Xuanyin's spiritual treasure. Jueyin is inherently difficult to detect, and she had unknowingly been struck by a divine ability."
Li Ximing felt a secret chill as he listened:
'There were many Masters present back then—why didn't he target someone from the Taiyang lineage? Only slaying a direct descendant of the Taiyang lineage would count as effective harm. Why go out of his way to torment an obscure figure like Zhugong? Most likely, it was a warning—killing the chicken to scare the monkey!'
Seeing their grave expressions, the injuries were undeniably severe. Following her into the cave abode, Li Ximing indeed heard rustling, rodent-like sounds, largely resembling Kuiqi's condition back then. His expression grew instantly more somber as he lowered his voice:
"Given the taboos concerning Senior Kuiqi back then... is it still safe for me to see her?"
Tinglan replied:
"It is fine. Senior Shanbai has already brought it under control; they are merely discussing a solution."
The two entered together, pushing open the stone door, and saw a white-haired elder to the side pounding herbs with his divine ability. In his hand was a small cyan jade mortar accompanied by a faint shimmer of light. He was at the mid Violet Palace realm.
'That must be Master Shanbai, a rare cultivator of the Jiaomu path!'
Li Ximing exchanged greetings with him, and the elder replied with a cheerful chuckle. Tinglan then led him inside with a troubled expression.
On an elevated dais in the main hall rested a jade bed. Below it, crimson stones of various sizes were piled high like a mountain, exhibiting vivid red hues. Dense clusters of red flower petals were wedged into the crevices of the stones like a sea of blossoms, spreading from the bedside down to the foot of the steps, nearly burying the jade bed.
Reclining on the jade bed was an adolescent girl of sixteen or seventeen. Her eyes drooped slightly, her skin fair and tender. She wore only a gossamer veil of red gauze, tied securely at the collar and draping down on both sides to brush gently over the red flowers. A pair of jade-white legs emerged from the red gauze, her delicate feet resting upon the petals.
Her cheeks were flushed pink from her injuries, but her eyes were dark as pitch. Seeing them enter, she offered a strained smile:
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Zhaojing!"
Li Ximing recognized Zhugong. Compared to her past high spirits and unrestrained arrogance, she now appeared rather frail; in the dim light of the cave abode, her eyes even betrayed a flicker of panic.
"Fellow Daoist Zhugong..."
Li Ximing cupped his hands. Although the girl before him had flushed cheeks and showed few signs of impending death, he could still keenly sense the erratic rise and fall of divine fluctuations across her body.
Tinglan sighed:
"Zhaojing, would you take a look?"
Li Ximing murmured an apology and took her wrist, which was scorching like burning charcoal. Stirring his divine ability slightly, a secret chill gripped his heart.
Within her body pervaded a clammy, freezing divine ability. Fluctuating erratically, it lurked between divine power and flesh, faintly resonating with the Great Void as it wove ceaselessly through her profound apertures. Whenever suppressed by her divine ability, it dissipated at once, only to resurface elsewhere.
'What a venomous Jueyin divine ability...'
Li Ximing's brow knotted deeply. He was no stranger to dealing with such lingering wounds, and said in a low voice:
"I, too, suffered greatly from Changxiao's Sangyu Nine Mystery Method. Techniques of this sort are the most sinister. They either demand ten or twenty years to dissolve, or they ruin your dharma body completely."
A glimmer of hatred flashed in the girl's eyes before fading into dull resignation. She replied:
"What else could happen? He is Wei Xuanyin, Imperial Preceptor of Great Zhao and a Great Master. Taking advantage of my vulnerability while injured, he secretly shone upon me with his spiritual treasure; of course it went unnoticed... Judging by his actions, he intends to destroy my dharma body so that I will scurry overseas to nurse my wounds."
When she said this, Tinglan fell silent, and Li Ximing shook his head with slight embarrassment. Zhugong merely studied him closely, her gaze shifting:
'Hearing of his dealings with Changxi, I took him for a rigid man easily manipulated. Who would have thought that over the span of several years, he would end up profiting the most? A figure who attained the Dao within the inland realm after all—he cannot be underestimated.'
After investigating, Li Ximing pondered and replied:
"I once refined a pill that used Female Water to treat internal wounds, though I cannot say whether it will be of much use. Let me confer with the senior... He will provide the diagnosis and formula, and I will find a way to refine it."
His appearance of earnest devotion brought a flicker of gratitude to Zhugong's eyes. She voiced her thanks, after which he excused himself and stepped back.
Tinglan breathed a sigh of relief and sat beside her, saying:
"With him here, things will be much easier. Having a targeted pill makes all the difference, especially one refined by a Mingyang cultivator... If it truly cannot be cured, Hengxing possesses better methods; at worst, I will go beg her!"
Zhugong's expression turned somewhat vexed as she replied:
"She has always looked upon me with such cold detachment... That is simply how things are overseas. I grew up there from childhood; it was kill or be killed. I, too, despised that dog-eat-dog world. After my master perished, it was only with the Great One's aid that I narrowly broke through to the Violet Palace, cleansing an entire sea in the process. Yet suddenly, I became the guilty one."
Tinglan silently shook her head, avoiding the topic, and replied:
"Just focus on healing your wounds... Out at sea... trouble has arisen again."
Zhugong's expression instantly turned solemn. She asked:
"At sea? The Xinyu Reefs?"
Tinglan nodded and sighed:
"Ever since someone deliberately stirred up anomalies nearby, I have brought back the key disciples and ventured deep into the earth veins to investigate. It is no small matter. The thing beneath continues to thrash about; if this continues, others will inevitably discover it."
Zhugong's expression shifted repeatedly. In the end, she could only let out a heavy sigh, speaking with a touch of resignation:
"If we truly cannot keep it in check, let it go... Things pertaining to the two paths of She and Ji are truly beyond what the likes of you and me can safeguard today. Master exhorted me while she was alive... if it comes down to it, giving it up is for the best."
Tinglan's expression darkened, and she said in a low voice:
"How can we let it go... That would bring endless trouble! Focus on nursing your wounds first. Once this matter is settled, you and I will discuss it further... Now that Wenqing has broken through, as long as we can extract ourselves from the northern quagmire, dispatching one of us to suppress it will suffice."
A complex emotion flickered in Zhugong's eyes for a moment. Mumbling beneath her breath, she ultimately kept her thoughts unspoken:
'How could there be time... They have plotted for so long, flawless at every turn... Plotting against you is hardly something of a day or two! In the end, those in the game are blind to it...'
Chapter 940